


Insensate

by 3DMG Shenanigans (Lightningpelt)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-16
Updated: 2015-09-25
Packaged: 2018-02-04 22:58:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1796365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lightningpelt/pseuds/3DMG%20Shenanigans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Annie Leonheart had always been on relatively good terms with the voices inside her head, but she had never met one face-to-face until Armin Arlert.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. On Voices

**Author's Note:**

> Written for AruAni "Long Fic Month" on tumblr. I'm definitely not sure where this idea came from, but I'm definitely in love with it. <3 I hope you guys enjoy reading as much as I loved writing it!

The official diagnosis was schizophrenia.

That diagnosis had been made three days after she set fire to an old warehouse, the place where several of her voices claimed they had been tortured. It was her first act of violence, and no one had been harmed; she was contrite, apologizing for taking the voices- which she claimed she could usually ignore -seriously. And so she had been released shortly thereafter back into society, with the agreement that she would attend weekly therapy and faithfully swallow a little white pill every morning. She had agreed readily, of course, and slipped easily back into her seemingly normal life.

But Annie Leonheart didn't take the little white pill every morning; she threw it away. She was on good terms with the voices in her head, after all, and they made for decent company.

... ... ...

 _’You look dashing today, Annie. Special occasion?’_

Annie didn't bother to reply, knowing that he could tell that the comment had lifted her spirits. She twisted in the mirror, examining the little red knit dress that she wore. Her knee-high black combat boots went well with it, she thought.

_’I-It's too r-revealing, Annie... p-people will g-get the wrong impression! Th-They'll try to- to take advantage!’_

She smiled at his concern, sweeping her hair up into its usual bun.

 _’Annie can deal with whatever scum is foolish enough to mess with her.’_

_’B-But is it r-really worth the chance?!’_

_’She looks fantastic.’_

_’T-Too fantastic, i-if you ask m-me!’_

_’Which no one_ is _…’_

Annie felt her smile widen, and she reached out as if to touch the voices that resided only in her head. "Thank you, my boys, both of you. I'll be mindful."

She referred to them simply as her boys. They didn't have names- the voices never did -but they were the most common of the voices in her head. There were others, of course, but none so close to her as her boys- one strong and affectionate, the other timid and protective. She had known them both for years and years, since before she could speak.

"Now hush; let me get ready, both of you. I'm going to be late."

... ... ...

 _’W-Watch the puddle, Annie!’_

The girl hopped cheerfully into the small collection of water in the gutter, splashing through it deliberately and relishing her boy’s distraught squeaking. Her other boy laughed heartily. 

_’He may as well think its acid you're splashing in!’_

People didn't stop, but some did stare at the strange girl wading, straight-faced, through the gutter water in her platform boots; others, those who knew the girl's history, pointedly ignored her. And Annie ignored them all, as well; she had all the company she needed.

 _’Stop! You'll weaken the material your shoes are made of!’_

That was the girl- Annie's advisor and confidant in all things concerning boys or fashion, and the only female voice that Annie heard on a regular basis. Annie smiled slightly, hopping back up onto the curb.

"You're right, I suppose. I like these shoes too much to splash about carelessly."

The girl gave an approving huff. _’Good. You look adorable in them, after all.’_

Her strong boy sighed. _’Girls and their shoes...’_

Her timid boy made a relieved little whimpering noise.

 _’You're very pretty.’_

It was a male voice that she had never heard before, and it made Annie pause. But, unfamiliar though it was, it still appeared to be one of her voices, and so she answered it.

"Thank you."

The new voice didn't respond for a moment, but then spluttered demandingly, _’Y-You can hear me?!’_

Annie cocked her head, although she continued to walk. "Yes, of course I can. Can't you hear him, boys?"

 _‘Of course.’_

_’Y-Yes, I can too. Who... are you?’_

The new voice was breathy with excitement. _’I can't believe you can hear me! Well, I can believe that you two can hear me, but I-I've never come across someone else like me...! I- this is- I mean, my name is Armin, Armin Arlert!’_

Annie stopped dead in her tracks, confusion scattering her thoughts. "Your name is... Armin?"

 _’Yes!’_ the voice replied cheerfully. _’Why do you sound so surprised?’_

"Well... my voices... don't usually have names," Annie said, a bit nervously. "In fact... I've never heard a voice with a name."

 _’Voice?’_ Armin echoed, sounding as confused as Annie. _’Like... like these two? They don't... have names...?’_

_’No.’_

_’N-No…’_

"I just... I always figured that voices wouldn't have names," Annie said, now a bit defensive. "I mean... you're only in my head, so-"

 _’Wait, what?’_ Armin cut in suddenly. _’"Only in your head?" I'm not just some voice in your head, if that's what you're thinking.’_

_’What the hell do you mean?’_ Annie's strong boy demanded. _’You're like us, aren't you?’_

_’Clearly not,’_ Armin said, sounding somewhat amazed. _’For one thing, I most certainly have a name; for another thing, I most certainly have a body, and I'm inside no one's head but my own. Well… to be honest I’d very much like to get_ back _inside my own head, but...’_

"You have a what?" Annie demanded.

 _’You're a disembodied voice, just like us,’_ her boy said gruffly. Armin made a disbelieving noise in the back of his throat. _’We're Annie's voices.’_

_‘You might fancy yourself just that,’_ he said, _’but I have my own body, my own life, and my own_ name _. I'm_ not _just some voice in someone's head.’_

_’Th-then why... can we h-hear you...?’_ Annie's other boy asked nervously, and Armin huffed.

 _’Because I'm not in my body right now; I haven't been in my body for quite a while. I'm not one of her "voices," but your Annie is the first person who's been able to hear me... ever. And I have to admit, it's beyond refreshing to have a real conversation, regardless of how confused a conversation it is.’_

_’He sounds cute,’_ Annie's girl put in, popping out of nowhere. _’Go for it, Annie. See what he's all about!’_

_’Would you like proof?’_ Armin asked. _’I can take you to where my body is, if you'd like to meet me properly.’_

_’Don't do it, Annie,’_ her strong boy spoke up, a growl in his voice.

But Annie's curiosity was undeniably piqued. "No... I want to see what this is about."

 _’A-Annie... please don't...’_

_’This isn't a good idea, Annie.’_

_’And you’re both just... content to write me- and yourselves -off as a voice in Annie's head?’_ the new voice challenged. _’Come on- what have you got to lose?’_

 _’Annie, go for it!’_ the girl urged. _’When was the last time you had yourself a romantic adventure?’_

Armin laughed a bit nervously. _’Romantic adventure, hardly. B-But if you want to see what I'm talking about- my body, I mean -follow me.’_

"'Follow?'" Annie echoed, although her boys were objecting in the background. "I can't see you! How would I follow you?"

 _’You can't see me?’_ Armin asked, sounding surprised. _’So you can't see them either?’_

"No, I can't. _Should_ I be able to see you?" Annie asked, looking around. "Should I be able to see all of you? Can you see one another?"

 _’No,’_ Armin admitted, echoed by one of her boys and the girl. 

_’N-No…’_

_’I can't!’_

_’We only exist as voices in Annie's head,’_ the gruffer of her boys said. _’How would we see one another? We don't even have a physical form.’_

_’_ I _have a physical form!’_ Armin said, growing a bit frantic. _’Come on and I'll show you! If you can't see me, just follow my voice!’_

Unable to resist the pull of the mystery, Annie found herself trailing after Armin's rambling voice. She followed him far off her original path, deeper and deeper into a questionable part of town, much to her timid boy's stuttered dismay. She followed the new voice all the way to a run-down hospital in the middle of the shadiest part of town, and then straight past the snoozing receptionist and through the double doors.

 _’Come on, come on!’_ Armin urged, leading her up a dingy flight of stairs and past countless sectioned-off rooms. _’But try to keep it down, alright?’_

_’This isn't a good idea...’_

_’I-I agree…’_

"Hush," Annie told her two boys quietly, peering into the rooms that they were passing. People lay in their shadowed beds, surrounded by dust and the stench of death, and she shivered at the mere thought of being stranded in such a place.

 _’Here we are.’_ Even Armin's voice had dropped to a whisper, and Annie pushed gently at the door he had indicated she should stop at. When she poked her head into the room, she immediately noticed the two hostile sets of eyes locked on her- one fiery turquoise and the other suffocating black.

But then her attention was drawn to the boy lying in the bed; the monitors beside him, and the countless things attached to his skin. His hair was a golden halo spread across his pillow, and his porcelain pale skin was drawn tight across his thin frame; his delicate bones.

_’That's me.’_


	2. On Miracles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, here's the next chapter of Insensate! I may change that title at some point...

"Who the hell are you?" the turquoise-eyed boy demanded, standing up with the grating scrape of a chair.

_'Ask them,'_ Armin's voice urged her. _'Those are my friends, Eren and Mikasa.'_

"... Excuse me?" Annie finally got up her nerve to ask, stepping farther into the room. "Is this... Armin Arlert's room?"

"Yeah!" the boy, Eren, exclaimed, and the girl's- Mikasa's -eyes narrowed. Armin made a triumphant little sound. "Are you a new nurse or something? I haven't seen you around!"

_'If you tell them that you can hear me, Eren will probably believe you, but I doubt Mikasa will,'_ Armin put in. _'Eren can sort of tell where I am in the room, and most of the time he can tell my mood. Mikasa can't, though; most of the time she doesn't believe _Eren_ when he tells her things about me. But she's a good friend, and she means well.'_

"... Well..." Annie began, "I'm not... a nurse. My name is Annie, and I came... to visit him. Armin, I mean."

"Who the hell are you?" Mikasa growled, standing and placing herself bodily between Annie and the bed. "I've been sitting by this kid's bedside for well over a decade, and I've never seen or even heard of you."

_'I only have one living relative,'_ Armin put in. _'That's my grandfather.'_

_'Annie, why are you getting involved?'_

_'B-Be careful, Annie, please!'_

Her boys were back, but she ignored them both. Instead, she decided to effectively cut her losses and come clean. "Armin himself told me to come here. I didn't believe that he really had a body- none of the other voices in my head do -but here he is."

True to Armin's predictions, Eren's eyes brightened with curiosity while Mikasa's darkened with suspicion.

"You're... Eren? And Mikasa?" Annie continued, in an attempt to get them to believe her. "Armin told me you're his friends." She looked again at the beautiful, frail boy lying in the bed. "What's wrong with him?"

"I won't tell things like that to a stranger," Mikasa huffed. "Get out of here, _now_ ; before I throw you out."

_'I've been in a coma since I was four years old.'_ Armin himself answered her question. _'You know, Mikasa has never actually met me, not properly; she was adopted by Eren's family when the two of them were nine. But she's as good to me as Eren, and probably even more protective.'_

"I'm surprised that you're so protective of a boy you've never even properly met," Annie said, taking some bit of pleasure from Mikasa's surprise and confusion. "All- what? -10 years or so you've known him he's been in a coma, is that it?"

"Did Armin tell you that?" Eren asked, and then met Mikasa's withering gaze. "What? I _did_ feel Armin come back just about when she came in."

_'I told you that Eren can feel me!'_ Armin said triumphantly. _'Watch this!'_

Annie, of course, couldn't exactly watch him, but the next time she heard his voice it was high above. _'Eren, up here!'_ The brunette's head shot up, a ridiculous grin on his face. _'Over here!'_ Then it was to the left, and again Eren's head snapped around. Annie heard her boys begin to chuckle.

"But you can't hear him, right?" she asked Eren, and he shook his head.

"If you can, I'm really jealous," he admitted. "I can just kind of... tell when he's here and what he's feeling. We play this game sometimes, and I can tell by his mood if I've gotten it right!"

_'I try talking to him,'_ Armin said with a sigh, _'but he's never been able to hear me. I've never run into_ anyone _who's been able to hear me, actually; not until you.'_

"And I've never had one of my voices turn out to be an actual person," Annie replied, ignoring the odd stare that Mikasa was giving her.

_'Well... it_ is _possible that your other voices are- or at least were -real people as well,'_ Armin said thoughtfully. _'Not all people in comas are capable of astral projection, and I'm assuming that not all people capable of astral projection- or existing in an astral form -are in comas.'_

Annie blinked. "You've thought about this." It seemed obvious. Armin laughed lightly.

_'I don't need to rest, and I can't usually interact with anyone, so thinking and talking to myself are the only options I have left.'_

"You're talking to him, aren't you...?" Eren asked, in a reverent whisper. "You're talking to him right now, aren't you?"

Annie nodded reluctantly. "Yes."

"About what?" Eren asked eagerly; Mikasa looked disapproving, but didn't speak.

"He was telling me some of his theories about astral projection," Annie admitted. "And he was saying that he thinks my other voices could be actual people, as well."

_'That can't be,'_ her strong boy said gruffly. _'I would remember it if I was a real person.'_

_'Not necessarily,'_ Armin argued. _'If a trauma occurred at the time of separation from your body, you could have blocked out the memory of it. Annie has always been convinced that you were simply voices in her head, so it was easy to exist as such.'_

_'S-Separation from our b-bodies... i-infers...'_ her timid boy began with a gulp, _'that... w-we're... that we're_ dead _!'_

Armin's voice was sad as he admitted, _'That is the theory I'm leaning towards.'_

"You're telling me that my boys are ghosts?" Annie demanded, her voice breathy.

_'You could put it that way,'_ Armin said, a bit uncomfortably. _'But that's just my theory.'_

"I think you should leave," Mikasa said suddenly, taking a step forward. "We have no proof that you're able to do what you say, and we have no idea what your agenda might be. Leave, before I make you."

Annie huffed, straightening and facing Mikasa head on. "You couldn't make me, for one thing," she said, "and for another, I don't think that Armin wants me to leave."

Armin made a distressed sound. _'I don't, Annie, but Mikasa...'_

"I don't even think you can speak to Armin," Mikasa growled. "Pretending that you can is only reopening the wounds of those who truly care about him. I don't know what kind if mean-spirited joke this is, but-"

"Mikasa!" Eren objected, cutting her off. "If there's _any_ chance, don't you think we should at least check it out?"

"Is there any proof that you could give me, Armin?" Annie asked, ignoring the withering glare that Mikasa sent him.

The boy made a thoughtful sound. _'Not for Mikasa... I told you, I've never met Mikasa properly. But tell Eren... um... tell Eren about the house on the beach!'_

"That's pretty vague," Annie pointed out dryly. "What about the house on the beach, exactly?"

_'The house that we were planning to have!'_ Armin said giddily. _'We were going to get a boat and explore the ocean and find an uncharted island! And then we were going to claim it and build a house there, and that was going to be the hub for our other expeditions!'_ He laughed nervously, excitement fading, when Annie's face twisted into a disbelieving look. _'W-We were only four and five when we thought this up, remember...'_

"Alright, alright..." Annie sighed, feeling a bit foolish reiterating the childish fantasy. "So... you were going to get a ship..."

_'A blue one with white sails!'_

Annie raised an eyebrow. "... A blue one, with white sails. And you were going to explore the uncharted ocean together." The way that Eren's eyes were widening and beginning to shine were not lost on her. "You were going to... to find an uncharted island and build a house there. That it would be your..."

_'"Base of operations." For our expeditions!'_

"... your base of operations," the girl said, "for your other expeditions. Armin says you two thought that up when you were four and five years old."

"Armin told you that!" Eren exclaimed, and then spun around to face his adopted sister. "Mikasa, there's no other way she could have known all that! I- Armin and I planned that fifteen years ago! I’ve told you all that before, haven’t I? That was our dream!"

The girl still looked unconvinced, her critical eyes locked on Annie. But then she sighed, sitting down again beside Armin's bedside.

"If you want to believe in this, Eren, I won't argue."

Armin laughed in a somewhat relieved way, and Eren cried out excitedly. Annie, having received half-hearted permission to remain in the hospital room, approached the bed.

"May I?" she asked, reaching out; Eren nodded, although Mikasa just looked away.

Annie touched the boy's face gently, brushing his hair off his forehead. Her fingers trailed down his cheek and traced his jawline, his skin chilled slightly against hers.

_'I wish I could feel that,'_ Armin murmured, close to her ear. _'It's been so long since I've felt anything at all.'_

"You can't... feel?" Annie had heard about people in comas being able to hear and, in some cases, feel.

_'No. My body has no detectable brain activity at all because... well, because I'm not in it.'_ Armin sounded genuinely distraught, but also resigned. _'I'm disconnected from the physical plane completely.'_

"Of course he can't feel," Mikasa murmured, but so low that Annie wasn't sure she had heard it.

"Hey, Annie!" Eren chirped. "Ask Armin where he goes when he leaves this room! He leaves sometimes, you know, but I've never figured out where he goes."

Armin chuckled. _'You don't have to ask for him; I can hear him perfectly fine. Tell him that I just wander; I go down to the library pretty often to read over people's shoulders, but other than that I just wander around.'_

Annie reiterated his words, her fingers still tracing patterns down his neck. His flesh was so pale it was almost translucent, and so thin that it seemed to be as delicate as tissue paper. She could see the blood vessels beneath his skin, along with the outline of every bone beneath the atrophied muscles. She ran her fingertips along the curve of his clavicle.

"The doctors recommended we hire a physical therapist, to keep his body in some semblance of good shape," Eren volunteered, "but it's hard enough just finding the money to keep him on life support."

_'Mikasa and Eren both have full-time jobs,'_ Armin put in. _'Eren works two of them. My grandfather does what he can, but he's very elderly.'_

"Even then..." Annie murmured, trying to calculate the cost.

_'Even then,'_ Armin acknowledged grimly. _'Eren also deals in underground organ trade and illegal surgeries to fund my medical care.'_

Annie's gaze snapped around to Eren. "You do _what_?"

"What? What do I do?" the brunette asked in confusion, and Annie remembered belatedly that he couldn't hear Armin.

_'You should_ not _be getting involved with this, Annie,'_ one of her boys said sternly, and the other quickly echoed him.

_'S-Something isn't right here, Annie!'_

"People tell me constantly that something isn't right with _me_ ," the girl retorted. "Maybe I need to find more people who 'aren't right.'"

"Are you talking to Armin?" Eren asked, confused, and Annie shook her head.

"No, my two boys- two other voices I hear." For some reason, it was even easier than usual for Annie to admit it. "They don't have bodies or even names, not like Armin."

"Last time I checked, people who hear voices were supposed to be medicated or locked in a padded room," Mikasa said dryly.

"Mikasa!" Eren objected, but Annie only shook her head.

"They decided that I wasn't dangerous enough to be locked up, so they did try to medicate me. It hasn't worked yet, though."

Mikasa's eyes narrowed further, but Annie ignored her, returning her attention to Armin.

"Is there any...?" She stalled, unsure what she wanted to ask. _”Is there any hope?”_ would be the cliche, but it seemed wrong.

"Yes!" Eren answered, despite her hesitation. "There's always a chance he'll wake up!"

_'No, there isn't,'_ Armin said softly, at the same moment. _'I honestly don't hold out any hope of ever regaining consciousness. It would be a medical miracle.'_

"Those aren't unheard of," Annie said softly; Eren cocked his head, and Armin gave a short, huffing laugh.

_'No, they aren't unheard of... but I'm not the kind of person that would be worth such a miracle.'_

"That's not true!" Annie herself was surprised by her conviction, glaring in the general direction of Armin's voice. "Eren agrees as well, I'm sure!"

"What do I agree with?" the brunette asked helplessly, and was roundly ignored.

_'I'm nothing special!'_ Armin's voice was light- almost thoughtless. _'If given the choice, I would give that miracle to someone who had more to live for.'_

"And what about your friends?" Annie challenged. "How can you be so... so dense? So selfish?"

"What's going on?" Eren demanded, and again was ignored.

_'If there's one thing I'm not, it's selfish,'_ Armin said, sounding a bit offended. _'All I've ever been to them is a burden, and it would only get worse if I suddenly revived.'_

Annie huffed. "You, Armin Arlert, must be the most _irritating_ voice I've ever heard," she growled. "I want nothing to do with this foolish attitude of yours."

_'It isn't your place to judge!'_ Armin exclaimed. _'You have no idea how it feels to be in my position!'_

"And you have no idea how it feels to be in mine!" Annie snapped. With a curt nod to Eren, the girl stormed from the hospital room, slamming the door behind her. She made it halfway down the hallway before she slumped against the hospital wall, surrounded by the scents and sounds of death. 

_'Annie?'_

_'A-Annie? Are you alright?'_

The girl felt a strange tightening in her chest, but she took a distinct sense of comfort from the voices of her boys. She reached out, as if to touch them.

"I'm sorry, my boys..." she murmured. "I'm sorry... I do have something to live for... just as much as that Armin Arlert."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remember to leave kudos or a comment if you enjoyed, and I hope to see you all soon in the next chapter~


	3. On Stops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter~ *throws fluffy AruAnis and biscottis at you*

_'Annie... I'm sorry about earlier.'_

Annie sighed. "You're the last voice I want to hear when I'm already running late," she huffed, closing the door behind her. "Were you waiting outside for me?"

_'Yes.'_

"Why? Locked doors don't exactly keep things like you out."

_'It would be rude to enter without permission.'_

Annie almost laughed. "All my other voices do. Consider this unconditional permission."

_'Does that mean I'm forgiven?'_

This time Annie did laugh. "I'm not so sure about that."

Armin made a small, whimpering sound; he sounded relieved. _'I really am sorry. I didn't mean to offend you.'_

Annie sighed, then put on a burst of speed as her bus came hurtling down the street. She waved wildly, skidding up to the bus stop just as it screeched to a halt.

"Thanks," she huffed to the driver, who ignored her. Then she took her seat at the back of the bus, as per usual, and looked around expectantly. "Are you still here?"

_'Yes.'_

Annie smiled. "Good."

Again Armin made a soft sound of relief. _'I'm so glad you aren't really mad at me. You're the only person I can talk to, after all.'_

"And you're pretty desperate to talk, hmm?"

_'Wouldn't you be, after fifteen years?'_

"I suppose so. That's one thing about hearing voices: there's never any lack of conversation."

Armin laughed softly. _'Yeah... I guess so.'_

There was a moment of stillness, and Annie noticed that all the other bus patrons had their gazes fixed straight ahead. No one was talking; no one was moving.

"People think _I'm_ crazy, but I'm surprised _you're_ still sane," she said, to break the silence.

Again Armin chuckled. _'Frankly, so am I. I'm not quite sure my coping methods are exactly the healthiest, but I don't think I have much of a choice at this point.'_

"As long as they work, who is anyone to criticize another's coping mechanisms?" Annie murmured, and Armin made a questioning sound. "Never mind. But... for fifteen years?"

 _'To be fair, it's only been about nine or ten,'_ Armin admitted. _'I really was unconscious for the first few years, and then it took me a little while to figure out how to get out of my body, even after I woke up. I've never figured out how to get back into it, though. Sometimes I wish I could, and just sleep for a while... but I know that if I ever did go to sleep, I probably wouldn't wake up ever again.'_

"Do you wish you could die?"

_'Sometimes.'_

They lapsed into silence, then, with Annie lost in her private thoughts. It didn't last long, though, before one of her boys piped up.

 _'If you're right... and_ we're _already dead... death isn't all its cracked up to be. It doesn't seem much different from the state you're in now, anyways.'_

 _'W-Wait...!'_ her other boy stammered. _'You can't... you can't seriously b-be considering... the idea that we're d-dead?'_

 _'Of course I'm considering it,'_ the first said gruffly. _'It makes a lot of sense.'_

 _'N-No it doesn't!'_ her timid boy squeaked nervously. _'We're only voices- we were never anything more than that! It makes no sense at all!'_

"Hush, boys," Annie said, a bit disturbed by their quarreling. "Does it matter? Please don't work yourselves into such a state."

 _'S-Sorry, Annie...'_ her timid boy murmured, but then insisted, _'but we aren't ghosts! We're just your voices- never think otherwise!'_

 _'I can sympathize with not wanting to believe it,'_ Armin put in gently. _'When I first woke up inside my body, I didn't want to believe it. I kept telling myself that it was a dream, and that I would wake up soon. But that kind of thought is what kept me bound to my body for a long time. I would never have been able to figure out how to astral project if I had clung to that comforting denial.'_

 _'S-So what are you saying?'_ Annie's timid boy asked suddenly, with startling anger. _'Are you saying we have something to_ gain _from considering the notion that we're both dead? If so, than you're a fool- a cruel fool!'_

"Hey...!" Annie said softly. "Don't! Armin is only trying to help!"

 _'I don't like him, Annie, I really don't!'_ the voice replied, his words still characteristically shaky but also confident. _Tell him to go away and stay away! I don't want him talking to us, and I don't want him talking to_ you _!'_

 _'If it bothers you, I won't talk about it!'_ Armin said quickly, sounding a bit panicked. _'Please don't chase me away, though! I... I don't have anyone else to talk to! I'll never mention death or ghosts again, I promise!'_

"I'm not going to chase you off, Armin," Annie said soothingly. "And I won't let my boys do it either, alright? He's being an idiot, that's all."

 _'Annie, I'm serious!'_ her boy said, but found himself ignored.

"I find your theories intriguing."

_'But Annie-!'_

Armin made a relieved little sound. _'Thanks, Annie. I guess... this_ does _mean I'm forgiven?'_

Annie smiled slightly, although there was a slight sourness to it. "Considering your little quarrel with my boys made me miss my stop, don't be so sure about that."

Armin gulped nervously. _'I-I'm sorry!'_ he squeaked, but Annie made a dismissive motion.

"It's fine, it's fine." The girl was smiling. "It was just my therapist appointment. Nothing important."

 _'O-Oh...!'_ Armin didn't sound quite sure how to respond, and Annie let her smile widen.

"It's alright, really. My favorite coffee shop is at the next stop. I'd chose spending the afternoon there over my therapist's office any day."

The whole bus breathed a sigh of relief when Annie Leonheart departed. No one raised an eyebrow when she entered the coffee shop, though; most everyone there knew her, knew she was harmless enough, and knew the world at large was inclined to give her precious little courtesy, so they tried to.

"Small black coffee and two almond biscotti, please," she told the barista, who obligingly prepared it. She heard Armin sigh softly. "What is it?"

_'Do you know how long its been since I had a cupcake?'_

Annie almost snorted. "What?"

_'Or a piece of strawberry cheesecake...?'_

The girl glanced over at the display case that he was undoubtedly gazing into. "Have a bit of a sweet tooth, do you?"

 _'At least I_ did _...'_ Armin sighed. _'I can hardly remember what anything even tastes like nowadays.'_

"My sympathy," Annie said, collecting her plate and cup before making her way to a corner table. She motioned to the chair opposite her, and Armin laughed softly. "Sit. Let's talk a while, shall we?"

_'... Thanks.'_

Annie raised her coffee in a mock toast. "Thank _you_ for giving me the excuse to skip therapy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to leave kudos and/or comments if you enjoyed~!


	4. On Convictions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... This took a while. I hope it's worth the wait, though!

That day at the coffee shop led to many other days shared at that same coffee shop, over black coffee and almond biscotti. It shouldn't have surprised Annie the wealth of knowledge that Armin possessed, but somehow it always did. She could choose a topic, any topic, and have a perfectly intellectual conversation with him- something she couldn't do with her other voices.

_'Annie, this has gone too far!'_

But her other voices- or one in particular, it seemed -had yet to warm to Armin Arlert.

"We've been over this before," Annie grumbled irritatedly. "You've never argued with me before. Why is Armin so... _personally offensive_ to you?"

 _'H-He's just trouble!'_ her timid boy insisted. _'He's just stirring up trouble where there's never been any before! W-We were all perfectly happy without him...!'_

 _'I think he's jealous, Annie,'_ her girl chirped. _'Armin's such a charming little gentleman, and he feels threatened!'_

_'Th-That's not true!'_

_'It_ is _!'_ the female voice insisted. _'You don't have a monopoly on Annie's attentions anymore, and that tans your hide!'_

 _'That's not true!'_ her boy shot back nervously. _'I-I've never had a monopoly on Annie anyway- I don't have any problem with you! The problem isn't about me, it's all Armin's doing!'_

Annie buried her head beneath her pillow, groaning in frustration. But of course it did nothing to block out the voices that rang in her ears.

"I wish Armin was here right now!" she finally snapped. "You never prattle on like this when he's actually here!"

That made her boy fall silent, and she felt momentarily guilty. But it was so late, at that point, that the brief quiet was all it took for sleep to overwhelm her, and she fell asleep before she could apologize.

... ... ...

_'Good morning, Annie!'_

She was used to being woken by her voices, but his was by far the most pleasant.

"Good morning, Armin."

_'Did you sleep well?'_

"Yes, at least after the others shut up enough to let me sleep."

Armin laughed lightly. _'That's good.'_

"And you? How did your night go?"

 _'Oh, he's been here for a few hours,'_ Annie's female voice piped up, startling her. _'We've been talking about matters of romance!'_

Annie felt heat rise to her face, and Armin dissolved into a flustered, stuttering squeaking. The girl laughed. 

_'Calm down, I'm only kidding!'_ she said, and Annie's eyes narrowed. _'But we_ were _talking about things, specifically some of Armin's theories about my own origins.'_

 _'...'_ It was faint, but Annie thought she heard a disgruntled or nervous sound from her timid boy.

"Oh? And what did he say?" she asked, partially out of honest interest and partially to see if her boy would be bothered enough by it to speak up.

 _'You tell her, Armin,'_ her female voice said. _'I don't think I could, not as clearly as you explain it.'_

 _'Well...'_ Armin began, sounding pleased, _'I definitely think that she was a real person at some point, but I don't think she was alive recently. It's more likely that she's a very ancient spirit who has... latched on to a modern-day, female youth and is subconsciously attempting to live through said girl- namely, you.'_

 _'Isn't it intriguing, Annie?'_ the girl gushed, and Annie nodded slightly.

"It seems reasonable..." she murmured. "You _are_ always giving me advice and the such..."

 _'Right?'_ the girl exclaimed. _'I think Armin's got it on the nose!'_

_'Th-This is ridiculous!!'_

There he was. Annie sighed softly. "Why do you have to be so difficult?" she asked tiredly, and her boy stammered a half-baked defense.

 _'I don't know what he has against you, kid.'_ Her other boy was obviously addressing Armin, sounding exasperated and a bit worried. _'I apologize for him.'_

 _'D-Don't apologize for me!'_ the first stammered, and Annie stood.

"If you can't all get along, this conversation is over," she said simply, and then made a motion. "I'm going to get dressed."

 _'I'll wait outside,'_ Armin said quickly, and then fell silent as he, presumably, drifted out through the door.

 _'Y-You don't even have any proof that the little rat isn't still-'_ her timid boy began, but she cut him off with a look in his general direction.

"Drop it."

And, as nothing more than a voice in her head, he did.

... ... …

“Thanks for stopping by like this, Annie,” Eren said cheerfully, as the girl slipped into the hospital room. She walked slowly over to Armin’s beside, aware of Mikasa’s eyes on her. 

"I don’t mind. I like Armin; I like you, too. You’re a good kid, and a good friend." 

Armin made an excited little sound. _'I'm so glad that I found you, Annie, for so many reasons!'_

Annie, if the truth was to be told, was always a bit unnerved when she saw Armin lying motionless in his hospital bed. She did enjoy talking to Eren, and she knew that he liked being able to talk to Armin through her. But the blonde boy simply looked so… lifeless. She sat in the chair that Eren had kindly vacated and reached out, picking up Armin’s hand gently. There was some small trace of heat in it, and she took comfort in that. 

_’Thanks, Annie.’_

“What for?” 

_’For being brave enough to touch me.’_

"Annie."

Annie, slightly stunned by Armin’s words, glanced over at the girl's stern voice; met Mikasa's gaze. "What?"

"I need to talk to you- _alone_."

Blinking, confused but willing, Annie nodded and placed Armin's hand back on the bed beside him. She stood, and then glanced around. 

“Armin? We’ll be right back.” 

_’It’s okay. I’ll wait right here.’_

“We’ll keep each other company!” Eren said cheerfully, taking Annie’s place and picking up Armin’s hand again. The boy made a happy little sound. 

_’Say thanks to Eren for me, before you leave, Annie? Could you ask him to talk about the ocean?’_

Annie felt herself smile slightly; indulgently. “You just made Armin very happy, Eren,” she said. “He was wondering if you might talk to him about the ocean while we’re gone.” 

Eren’s eyes began to _shine_. “Yeah, of course! Thanks, Annie.” 

“Leonheart…” Mikasa’s voice was insistent; Annie relented, allowing herself to be led her out into the hallway.

"What's this about?" Annie asked, a bit huffily. She wondered if Armin was watching silently, or if he had really respected Mikasa's request for privacy and stayed with his body and Eren.

The dark-haired girl leaned back slightly. "You're undoing all my hard work with your delusions, Leonheart."

Annie blinked. "What's that supposed to mean, _Ackerman_?"

"Armin is _dead_ ," Mikasa said bluntly. "I've spent nearly a decade preparing Eren to pull the plug on his best friend's body, and I won't have you unbalancing him all over again."

Annie's jaw dropped. "You think Armin is _dead_?" she repeated, and Mikasa nodded.

"He's never going to wake up. Eren will have to let go eventually, and its my job to make that inevitability as painless as I can."

"I thought you cared about him- about Armin!" Annie blurted out without thinking; her mind was a muddled mess, faced with such words as Mikasa's.

The dark-eyed girl sighed. "... I do," she admitted. "I care very deeply for the boy that Eren takes such pleasure in telling me about. But that boy is _dead_ ; Eren needs to be able to grieve and move on."

"If that's what you really think, it's certainly taken you a while to act on it," Annie pointed out. "What's it been, a decade?"

Mikasa looked down. "I kept putting it off. I don't like it, not at all. But the fact of the matter is, Armin's grandfather is very, very sick. He'll die soon, and when he does Armin will become a ward of state. I've done my research, Leonheart; dead wards of the state are not kept artificially alive because their friends want them to be. The state lets nature take its course, something Mr. Arlert and Eren should have done a long, long time ago."

Annie was gaping helplessly. "... Then you don't believe that I can talk to him."

Mikasa hesitated, and chose her words carefully when she finally answered. "I believe that you're mentally ill," she said. "I don't know how you know some of the things you do, but I don't think you can be trusted."

Annie's hands clenched at her sides, her confusion slowly being overridden by anger. 

_'Deck her, Annie,'_ her strong boy encouraged.

 _'I-I knew getting involved in this was a bad idea...!!'_ her timid boy wailed.

 _'Ooh, cat-fight!'_ another, random voice chimed in. _'Guys, cat-fight goin' down over here, and it doesn't look like one to miss!'_

_'Did someone say cat-fight?!'_

_'Woohoo! Fight! Fight!'_

_'Kick the bitch's ass, Annie!'_

_'Scratch her eyes out, Annie!'_

_'Yeah, Annie!!'_

_'Let's see the shirts come off!'_

_'Woo yeah! Strip, strip, strip!!'_

_'Fight, fight fight!'_

"Ackerman, you have _no_ idea how much I want to punch you in the face." Annie wasn't actually sure if she wanted to or not; her head felt a bit light, and her thoughts were a bit muddled.

"You would regret that decision, Leonheart," Mikasa growled, flexing her shoulders.

_'Fight, fight!'_

_'Kick her little Asian ass, Annie!'_

_'Fight, fight!'_

_'Off with the shirts!'_

"Don't... tempt me..." Annie managed through grit teeth; a dangerously small part of her mind was telling her that striking Mikasa would be a bad idea, and it was fading faster and faster. Suddenly, the girl's vision blurred.

_'Deck her!'_

_'Coldcock her!'_

_'Fight! Fight!!'_

"Just try it, Leonheart. This is my family you're deal-"

And then, the chorus of voices swelling violently, Annie threw the first punch.

Mikasa was obviously _not_ expecting the other girl to actually follow through with her threat; while she jerked to the side, she didn't manage to dodge entirely, and was sent reeling into the wall by a brutal right jab. The cacophony of voices in Annie's head roared with approval, and the girl reacted to them by taking up a fighting stance and smiling slightly- all her doubt was gone as she let the crowd in her mind direct her.

"Make me regret that, Ackerman."

Face twisting with rage, Mikasa slammed an unbelievably fast punch into Annie's stomach; the girl hacked slightly, but used the opportunity to wrap one arm around Mikasa's neck. Then, throwing all of her weight forward and sweeping her opponent's feet out from under her, she sent the dark-haired girl crashing flat onto her back.

The voices were cheering.

"You-!" Mikasa spat, grabbing for Annie's legs and managing to drag her down. The two of them tussled for a moment, hand to hand, before approaching footsteps could be heard over their grunts and pained curses.

"Mikasa!! Annie!!"

_'Mikasa!! Annie!!'_

The voices in Annie's head scattered as if by magic, Armin's voice cutting through all of them. The blonde girl blinked, letting her guard down for just a moment and taking a brutal punch to the jaw for it. Then Mikasa was being dragged off of her by a very concerned-looking Eren, although the dark-eyed girl was still snarling venom at Annie.

"Stay away from my family, you psychopath!"

Annie winced back, her hair falling across her face as she did so. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she grasped at threads of memory.

_A… fire…_

_The voices... I let them..._ again _...!_

_'Annie, are you alright?!'_

"Armin..." She couldn't help but say his name and reach up slightly, as if to touch him. The sound of it, though, only incensed Mikasa further, and she writhed free of Eren's grip just enough to get in one last kick at Annie, still on the ground. The blonde huffed with the impact to her ribs, but took it without complaint.

 _'Stop!'_ Armin pleaded. _'Why are you two fighting?!'_

"What the hell is going on here?!" Eren echoed his friend's question, managing to get a decent grip on Mikasa again. "Mikasa?! An-?!"

"Don't even _say_ her name, Eren!" Mikasa cut him off furiously, spitting in Annie's general direction. "I don't want her anywhere _near_ this hospital room, _ever_ again!!"

"Mikasa!"

_'Mikasa!'_

Hearing Armin's plaintive tone cut Annie to the bone. _She can't... hear you, Armin. She doesn’t believe that_ I _can hear you. She thinks you're_ dead _._ But she couldn't bring herself to say it. She glanced over at Mikasa, and winced at the dark hatred glowing in her eyes. _I am..._ violating _your family... disrupting what you're fighting for, even if what you're fighting for is wrong…_

"I'm sorry..." she managed to whisper. "I didn't really mean to-"

And then Mikasa was loose again, flying at her and bowling her to the ground. This time Annie didn't fight back, taking the punches uncomplainingly despite her two boys- the only voices that had remained.

_'A-Annie! A-Annie, you don't- you don't deserve this!'_

_'Fight back, Annie! You shouldn't be taking this lying down!'_

"I'm sorry, boys..." Annie whispered, as Eren managed to drag Mikasa off of her yet again. "There comes a point when fighting... just isn't worth it."

_'F-Fighting... you should never stop... always fight... for what you care about...!'_

_'Annie!'_ That was Armin again. Still trying to comprehend her timid boy's words, Annie closed her eyes and shook her head. 

"I'm sorry, Armin. I'm doing more harm than good here, it seems."

Mikasa made an outraged little sound, but Annie guessed, from the lack of blows, that she hadn't managed to get away from Eren again. So she rose, albeit a bit unsteadily, aware of blood dripping from her nose. 

“Go away,” the dark-eyed girl said darkly, “and stay away! I don’t want your _insanity_ anywhere near my family!” 

Annie winced, feeling the words like a physical blow. But then Armin was speaking, his voice even more insistent than Mikasa’s. 

_’A-Annie… I don’t know what’s going on, but… but please don’t leave…!’_

“What’s going on?” Eren’s voice was softer, but still there. “Mikasa, why are you…?” 

“Eren, do you believe that Armin is alive?” Annie found herself asking suddenly, and Mikasa’s expression darkened. “Do you believe that he’s really speaking to me?” 

The brunette blinked. “Of… course I do…!” he said helplessly. “Annie, of course I believe that! And it means the world to me!” 

_’Annie…?’_ Armin asked hesitantly, but she ignored him for the moment. She met Mikasa’s smoldering gaze; looked back up at Eren, and then smiled slightly. 

“I think it would be best if I left, for now.” She wiped the blood from her nose. “However… Mikasa, I think you should reevaluate. 

“They may be your family, and you may care deeply about them. But you don’t choose who they speak to, or what they believe. So I will keep coming back, as long as they want me to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please remember to leave kudos or comments if you enjoyed~! They really make my day!


	5. On Visuals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3

' _... Why were you and Mikasa fighting, Annie?_ '

The girl sighed; she had already refused to answer several times before, but she guessed that Armin had been able to see her weaken slightly each time. And now she was home, curled up in her bed, the last thing she wanted to do being dodge the voice’s questions.

"You."

He laughed nervously. ' _I-I guessed_ that _much._ '

"..." Annie sighed. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could her timid boy cut her off.

' _Y-You don't have to tell him if you don't want to, Annie! You- stop h-harassing her!_ '

' _I don't mean to harass her..._ ' Armin said, sounding a bit worried. Annie sighed again.

"Pay him no mind; you know he doesn't like you to begin with."

' _O-Oh... right..._ ' Armin murmured, sounding genuinely distraught.

The interaction only made Annie more inclined to take pity. "She doesn't think I can actually speak to you. She's angry that I'm... getting Eren's hopes up."

Armin made a soft, anxious sound. ' _I thought that that might be it..._ ' he murmured, and Annie wondered if he has any suspicions about Mikasa's belief that he was, in fact, dead... or about the impending pulling of his plug. 

"She thinks I'm insane," the girl continued, impulsively sidestepping the other issues. "But plenty of people share that opinion. You know I'm not crazy, and Eren doesn't think so, either. So, as I said, I'll keep coming back as long as you want me."

' _... Thanks, Annie._ '

The warmth in his voice was tangible, and Annie found herself smiling as she settled deeper into her blankets and turned out the light.

... ... ...

True to her word, Annie returned to the hospital the very next morning.

Her good sense told her to let things cool down for a few days, but Armin hadn't been there when she woke. That hadn't happened in a long while, and so she was admittedly a bit worried. She was surprised, as she trekked up the dingy staircase, at how accustomed to Armin's presence she had grown.

The door to Armin's room was closed. Momentarily alarmed, Annie forced her knock to be soft and casual. No sooner had she knocked, though, than Armin's startled squeaking made her jump.

' _D-Don't come in, Annie!!_ '

"Is that you, Annie? Come on in!"

Eren's voice sounded breathy, like he was struggling with something, but he didn't sound distressed. Annie's curiosity got the better of her, so after a moment she disregarded Armin's spluttered protests and pushed into the hospital room.

Eren had his hand in the small of Armin's back, holding the boy's body in a sitting position. All the wires and tubes were still in place, but several of the monitors had been detached and the covers were pulled back entirely. The turquoise-eyed boy motioned Annie farther in, and the girl closed the door behind her. Mikasa was nowhere to be seen, perhaps at work. Eren was in the process of untying Armin’s hospital robe, and Annie watched in wonder as it fell into the patient's lap.

"I was just getting ready to give him a little bath," Eren explained cheerfully, and then began to remove the hospital robe completely.

' _Eren, please don't-!!_ '

"Eren," Annie said quickly, biting back a chuckle. The boy paused, looking up at her questioningly, and she couldn't help a snort of amusement. "... Armin desperately wants you to leave that there."

"O-Oh!" Smiling sheepishly, Eren dropped the fabric again. "Sorry, bud."

Armin breathed an audible sigh of relief. ' _This is embarrassing enough already...!_ ' he whimpered, and Annie raised one eyebrow.

"Don't whine; it's unbecoming." Her curiosity sharpened as Eren shifted his friend's limp body slightly, and she leaned closer to examine it. She braced herself to see bedsores on his back, but where one might expect them- his sharp shoulder blades; the jutting vertebrae of his spine -there were only patches of callused skin. Eren glanced up at her, guessing her question.

"Bedsores used to be a horrible problem, but he eventually developed calluses in the most vulnerable spots. You know, like if you rub a hole in your foot in the same place one too many times, it'll stop blistering eventually and just callous over."

Annie nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense." She watched as Eren reached down, pulling a bucket of warm water closer to his chair and pulling a washcloth out of it. He looked up suddenly at Annie.

"Could you hold him like this, for a sec?"

Annie felt herself stiffen, but nodded anyway. "If... Armin, do you mind?"

' _N-Not... really... I guess..._ '

The boy sounded like he was simply _dying_ of embarrassment. Annie found herself smiling slightly with amusement as she sat down opposite Eren, with Armin between them, and placed her hand gently on the blonde's sternum.

"Like this?"

"Yeah," Eren murmured, "just while I get his back. He was always so good about hygiene... I don't want his body to get all gross just because he isn't around to take care of it."

Annie made a soft sound of agreement, noticing the tenderness in Eren's touch as he ran the warm cloth down his friend's back. Armin himself was silent, undoubtedly used to such baths and yet still embarrassed by Annie’s presence. .

"There..." Eren murmured softly; there was a gentle smile on his face, almost painful in its earnestness. "We'll keep your body in good order... it'll be ready and waiting for you..."

_Not according to Mikasa…_ Annie almost said it, but didn't. She could feel Armin's slow heartbeat against her palm, and his head was hanging so low that she could feel his breath on the back of her hand. _How can Mikasa... say you aren't alive...? You're just a bit... broken._

"Annie?"

The girl looked up sharply, the sudden motion dislodging a single tear that had been threatening to overflow her lashes. Eren was holding out the washcloth.

"Get his face for me, would you?"

Wordlessly, Annie let Eren take Armin again and accepted the rag. She ran it gently along the boy's fragile cheekbones; tucked his dull golden hair behind his ear to wipe away what grime had gathered at the hairline.

' _Annie... oh god I wish I could feel that..._ '

Eren watched with analytical eyes as the scene unfolded before him. When Annie handed the washcloth back, he seemed satisfied, with both the girl's performance and Armin's cleanliness. He laid his friend's body back down gently, retying the hospital robe in place and tucking the blankets up around Armin's shoulders. Then he looked up at Annie, eyes glinting with knowing confidence.

"Anyone who looks at him like that has to know him."

"What?" the girl asked, a bit crossly. Eren smiled slightly.

"You were looking at him like you loved him, more than anything in the world. In order to look at someone like that, you have to know them intimately. So you _have_ been talking to Armin."

Annie felt a blush creep into her cheeks. "I'm... glad you finally believe me, Eren."

And the boy only smiled. "I guess I never really doubted you."

... ... ...

Annie left the hospital without knowing if Armin had stayed put or followed her; her other voices were unusually silent, and she had little to do other than wait for someone to speak up. As it was, that someone _was_ Armin, from his spot of silence beside her.

' _..._ Do _you love me, Annie...?_ '

The question was so childlike that Annie was forced to acknowledge what Armin's mental age was- intellectually, he was like that of a 50-year-old scholar, but he had all of 5 years' experience dealing with people and relationships. Still, something about his frankness appealed to her, and she saw fit to answer with something equally frank.

"Perhaps."

Armin made a soft sound of objection. ' _Annie...! Please, it's a yes or no question!_ '

The girl smirked. "Oh? And do you love me, Armin?"

The boy spluttered with protest, and it wasn't hard for Annie to imagine his blushing face. ' _I-I... perhaps...!_ '

"Please, Armin, dear," she said good-naturedly, not once seeing the strange looks of passersby, "it's a simple yes or no question, as you yourself pointed out."

Armin made a soft coughing sound, and then took a deep breath. Annie was surprised by how serious his voice had become when he did answer- as per her statement, with a yes or a no.

' _Y-Yes, Annie. I do. A-At least... I think I do. I-I'm a little, uh... inexperienced with these sorts of things. But I... I cherish you. I never... want to leave you._ '

Annie stopped walking for a moment, the flow of traffic on the sidewalk parting to accommodate her. "Armin..."

' _I-I don't... I don't mean to say that you have to feel the same way...!_ ' he said hurriedly. ' _I-I mean... you... Annie, you could have the whole world at your beck and call... and I'm... I'm so lucky to know you, but... but I'm not anyone special for you..._ '

"Stop," Annie cut him off, as he drew breath to keep speaking. She reached out her hand, as if to touch him, and the people passing by shied away. She wondered if it was her imagination, or if she really did feel heat radiating off of something- heat that inexplicably moved closer on its own. "Armin, I can't answer the question of love as easily as you can. But I _can_ say... that I cherish you, as well. And you _are_ something very special- don't ever let me catch you saying otherwise."

' _Annie..._ ' His voice was choked with emotion, full of gratitude, and Annie simply smiled at him. She felt more words pressing at the back of her throat, eager to escape; she could taste them.

But as it was, before any of those words could fight their way off her tongue, another voice cut in- a happening she was used to, but had never before been quite so irritated or shocked by.

' _Wipe that shit-eating grin off your face, you little rat!! And don't you dare touch her!!_ '

Annie had never heard her timid boy so explosively angry, and the sound of his voice made her jerk reflexively back and in on herself, retracting her hand. Armin squeaked in alarm, and then Annie's strong boy was speaking.

' _What the hell has gotten into you?!_ ' he demanded of his companion, and the timid boy hissed with irritation.

' _Can't you see what's going on here?!_ ' he wailed. ' _Annie, don't listen to him! Don't... don't ever speak to him! He only wants to rip us apart; he's only here to destroy how things are!_ '

"And that's such a terrible thing?" the girl answered hotly. "What are you trying so hard to protect? What?!"

' _Only you!_ ' the voice snapped. ' _I... h-he doesn't just get to waltz in here with his stupid little smile and his flirty eyes and disrupt our family!_ '

' _W-Wait..._ '

Annie was surprised when Armin spoke up- so unsteadily, no less. "What is it?" she asked, ignoring the displeased sound that her timid boy made. 

' _It's just... that..._ ' Armin began, struggling for words. Eventually he seemed to give up, blurting out towards Annie's timid boy, ' _This is the second time you've mentioned my appearance!_ '

Annie's mind was dead silent, in that moment, and her own mouth opened slightly. But Armin was right- she replayed the voice's words in her head, picking out all the visual words he had used. Then she remembered the heat she had felt against her skin, as well. 

_He even... told Armin... not to touch me…_

' _Hey._ ' Her strong boy's voice was gentle; cajoling. ' _Tell us what's going on, hmm?_ '

Her timid boy let out a shuddering sigh, but didn't reply. Feeling impatience well up inside her, Annie squared her shoulders.

"Can you see Armin, yes or no?"

' _... ..._ ' It took him a long moment to answer, but eventually her boy sighed again and said, ' _Yes._ '

"And the others?"

' _Yes._ '

"How is that possible?"

' _... Because I'm not like him, or them._ '

' _What the hell are you saying?!_ ' her strong boy demanded. Annie held up one hand.

"Let him speak," she said, but after a pause reiterated the question. "What do mean, you aren't like them? What are you, then?"

' _... ... ..._ ' It took him an even longer time to answer, but when he did it was heavily, his voice utterly exhausted and resigned.

' _Let's... let's get home. Then... I'll tell you everything._ '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments make my day~ I'll see you all very soon in the next chapter!


	6. On Differences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the wait, and I hope you all enjoy the next chapter of Insensate~!

No one spoke as Annie walked home, but she felt all their presences as clearly as if they had been physical people walking beside her. In fact, more and more silent voices joined the small parade until she felt a crowd undulating around her- dozens of undetectable breaths mingling with one another; dozens of unnamed voices waiting for an explanation as to what they were and why one of their own was different.

Her hand was strangely warm the whole way home, and her fingers twitched as if trying to curl around something.

Annie's seemingly empty room felt claustrophobically crowded as she settled on her bed, cross-legged. Again there was warmth, pressed against her side this time, and she longed to be able to see and touch the boy undoubtedly sitting next to her.

Her timid boy's heavy sigh broke the silence. ' _Seems we've drawn a crowd..._ '

' _We want to know what we are!_ ' a feminine voice called out, and there was a soft rumble of agreement.

' _You're different! We want to know why!_ '

' _Are you like Armin?_ '

' _Do you have a real body, too?_ '

' _And a name?_ '

' _Did you choose to be like this?_ '

' _What are we?_ '

' _Are we all ghosts?_ '

' _Are we really dead?_ '

' _Are you in love with Annie?_ '

' _How long have you been able to see us?_ '

' _Am I pretty?_ '

' _Why did you keep this a secret?_ '

' _What are we?_ '

' _Do you really know?_ '

' _What are you, if you aren't like us?_ '

The timid boy gave a soft whimper, and suddenly Annie's strong boy was speaking, his voice booming with anger and indignation.

' _Stop!! Let him speak if he wants to! And if not, don't you dare make him feel bad about it!_ '

' _He has no right to keep secrets!_ ' one incensed voice shouted, and a chorus of agreements rose up.

' _Shut up!_ ' Annie's female voice spoke up suddenly, apparently livid. ' _This boy is the sweetest little thing to ever grace the face of this earth! If he kept anything a secret he must have had a reason!_ '

' _You shut up, girly!_ ' another voice spat. ' _There's_ no _reason he should have kept secrets!_ '

' _Yeah, no reason!_ '

' _Come on, out with it!_ '

"Stop it!" Annie spoke up at last, standing. "All of you! Listen in silence or leave! I won't have this!"

That shut most of the voices up, although a few still muttered quietly to themselves. Annie huffed and sat back down, hearing her timid boy give a soft sigh of relief.

' _I say make 'em leave completely,_ ' her strong boy muttered. ' _They don't have anything to do with anything._ '

' _Excuse me?!_ ' an angry voice demanded, and Annie made a shushing motion.

"Hush, or so help me I _will_ make you leave!"

That made even the last few dissenters fall silent, and then Annie's timid boy cleared his throat slightly. He coughed nervously, and then fell silent.

' _You don't have to tell us, if you don't want to,_ ' her strong boy said softly.

' _N-No..._ ' the timid one replied, with a heavy sigh. ' _No, I... I've kept it a secret for long enough._

_'I am different from you all, firstly, in that I do have a name, like Armin. All of you have names; you've simply forgotten._ '

' _Can you tell me what my name is?_ ' a random voice cut in.

' _I want to know mine, too!_ '

' _Can you?!_ '

"Quiet!" Annie hissed, and they fell silent. Her timid boy took a shuddering breath before continuing.

' _Unfortunately, I don't know any of your names. I didn't know any of you while you_ had _names. However, I... I'd like to tell you mine, if you don't mind._ '

' _... Go on,_ ' her strong boy said gently. ' _I'd like to know your name._ '

Sounding grateful, the timid voice continued. ' _My name was... is Bertholdt. And I am not like you, because... because I am not dead. I was never alive to begin with._ '

A chorus of objections rose up- shocked voices; distressed voices; confused voices. But Annie silenced them all with another hiss, and Bertholdt continued in a frail but strangely steady voice.

' _I... watched over mortals... one mortal in particular,_ ' he whispered. ' _But when that... moral died, I... didn't choose to return to where I came from. I... would have been reassigned if I did. So I... I stayed with him, when he became a ghost. I… became a ghost, I suppose,_ with him _._

_'And then when I happened across Annie, who could hear us, w-well... suddenly I had something to tell him, other than 'you're dead, and we're stranded here as ghosts together for the rest of eternity.' That's... that's a bit of a bleak thing to tell someone, I think, especially someone who... who didn't even know you existed while they were alive. So... I told him that we were just nameless voices in Annie's head, and we... we existed as such._

_'I didn't know that other wandering spirits would find us and latch onto Annie, really,_ ' he added. ' _I didn't know that... blocking out the memory of death was so common, and that wandering spirits would just accept my lie. I didn't know that. So... I-I'm sorry for getting you all involved in this..._ '

' _Don't apologize,_ ' Annie's female voice said softly. ' _I'm a lot happier as one of Annie's voices than I would have been as an unattached spirit. So please... don't apologize._ '

The murmuring that sprang up amid the gathered crowd was mixed- some agreeing with the girl, and some condemning their timid storyteller. Annie stood suddenly, making a shooing motion.

"You've heard all there is to tell. Now leave us alone for awhile."

Slowly, the disgruntled chorus of voices faded. After a moment, Annie glanced over at where her timid boy had been beside her.

"Are they gone?"

' _Only the five of us left,_ ' he replied.

' _This is... this is fascinating,_ ' Armin said softly, from close beside Annie. ' _So you were... a guardian angel, is that it?_ '

' _I-I... I suppose you could... call me that..._ ' Bertholdt murmured self-consciously.

' _I was the one you watched over, wasn't I?_ ' Annie’s strong boy asked, suddenly and tenderly. 

There was a smile in Bertholdt's voice when he replied. ' _Yes... yes you were... Reiner._ '

' _Reiner..._ ' the voice murmured softly. ' _That was... my name..._ is _my name..._ '

' _I knew you had to remember his, at least!_ ' the female voice said cheerfully.

' _A-Actually, I... I did some digging,_ ' Bertholdt admitted, ' _s-since you were with us... so often..._ '

The girl gave a soft little gasp. ' _No...!_ '

' _Your name is Mina- Mina Carolina,_ ' Bertholdt told her, sounding hesitantly pleased.

The girl shrieked softly with excitement. ' _Mina!_ ' she exclaimed, trying out the sound of it and laughing lightly. ' _Mina! It's such a... a pretty name! Simple; cute! Mina! Mina Carolina!_ '

' _You're so kind, Bertl..._ ' Reiner murmured, and then paused. ' _Can I call you that?_ '

' _Yes,_ ' the angel replied, and then choked softly on a sob. ' _Of course... Reiner._ '

... ... ...

' _Bert... holdt...?_ '

' _Yes?_ '

The room was dark; Annie's soft snoring was the only audible sound. But there was also, for Bertholdt, the sound of Armin's spirit stirring the air.

' _I... I think we need to talk._ '

Bertholdt sighed, blinking open heavy-lidded eyes and glancing at the hesitant spirit hovering near Annie's doorway. He glanced over at Reiner beside him, and the ghost spoke as if sensing his gaze.

' _I agree. Go on, Bertl. I'll stay here with Annie._ '

With murmured thanks, Bertholdt stood and gave himself a brief shake. Then he made his way to the door, although Armin's crystalline gaze stayed fixed ahead, on the spot where he had been.

' _Lead the way._ '

The spirit jumped when Bertholdt spoke from beside his shoulder, whipping around and then nodding shakily. ' _R-Right... maybe just out into the hallway?_ '

' _Fine,_ ' Bertholdt replied, and trailed behind Armin as they drifted through Annie's bedroom door. The spirit looked incredibly nervous, and for a moment Bertholdt winced with sympathy.

' _I... I really like Annie..._ ' Armin began, his voice quavering slightly and his cheeks glowing. Bertholdt sighed loudly, and the spirit jumped.

' _L-Look, Armin..._ ' he began, ' _I don't have anything against you personally- I-I never did. I was so vocal about getting you to leave because I didn't want Annie- or Reiner, or any of the others, for that matter -getting curious. I didn't want my secret revealed. But..._ ' he sighed again, ' _th-that was bound to happen eventually, anyway..._ '

' _So now that you've come clean-_ ' Armin began, looking hopeful, but Bertholdt cut him off again.

' _I have a different problem, now- this idea of you being in love with Annie._ ' It took him a moment to gather the words, but eventually he continued. ' _You're as good as a ghost- you can't be with her like a whole person could be with her, and if her heart gets tangled up with you, she'll never_ find _a real person. H-Her chances of finding a real person were already slim, with us as baggage._ '

' _I-I... could wake up one day..._ ' Armin pointed out, a bit weakly, and Bertholdt sighed.

' _You don't even know how to get back into your body, let alone reawaken it,_ ' he pointed out. ' _Those chances are extremely slim, and you know it._ '

Armin looked down, the shimmer fading slightly from his face and hair. ' _I... I know that. I... I see your point._ '

Bertholdt felt another stab of guilty sympathy. He remembered the words he had overheard Annie and the girl Mikasa exchanging, and wondered if he should inform Armin of his impending death. _Soon... there won't even be that slim chance. Soon you'll be... just like us._

' _B-But I_ do _love Annie!_ ' Armin burst out suddenly, and Bertholdt blinked with surprise. ' _She doesn't have to love me back, but I won't lie and say I don't love her, because I do!_ '

' _You sound like a child,_ ' Bertholdt pointed out, and Armin looked down, shamefaced. ' _You're a child who wants what he wants, and doesn't give a damn about how that affects the other parties involved._ ' Then his tone softened, and he added, ' _I'm not saying that you don't love her, because I do believe that you do. But you don't realize the full implications of that._ '

Armin nodded reluctantly, the glow fading from his hair and skin and eyes. ' _I... y-you're right..._ ' he whispered, and Bertholdt nodded slightly.

' _Being... like you are... i-it can't be easy,_ ' he said, sympathetically. ' _But you can't ignore the fact that you are, for all intents and purposes, a_ ghost _._ '

Armin swallowed hard; nodded, and choked on whatever words he wanted to say. Then he shook his head.

' _If I... if I_ woke up _, then would you approve?_ '

Bertholdt drew back slightly in surprise. ' _'Would I approve?'_ ' he echoed, and Armin nodded.

' _I want your approval. You... you and Reiner are important to Annie, and I-I won't pursue her without your approval._ '

' _You read that in some book, didn't you?_ ' the angel asked, amused, and Armin flushed bright light.

' _I-I might have..._ '

Bertholdt felt himself soften, and then sighed. He didn't have anything against the kid himself, after all. So, after a moment, he nodded.

' _If you were to somehow regain human form, than yes. There would be no reason for me to object._ '

Armin's eyes brightened again as he looked up, his expression one of relief. ' _Really?_ '

Unnerved, Bertholdt nodded. _He can't be_ that _confident that he can actually make this happen, can he?_ ' _Y-Yes. I'd approve-_ if _you were back in your body._ '

Armin nodded, his expression morphing into one of absolute determination. ' _Thank you, Bertholdt!_ '

And the angel found himself unable to do anything other than sigh, smile nervously, and say, ' _Good luck, then._ '

... ... ...

Annie awoke to a soft singing.

Sitting up slowly, she glanced over in the direction it was coming from. Her bedroom window’s curtain had been pulled, and she didn't think she was imagining the indistinct shadow amid the pure dawn light.

"You have a lovely voice, Bertl."

The angel jumped, and the shadow vanished. But the curtains rustled as if caught by a breeze, and Annie felt her eyebrows quirk.

"You can interact with the physical world?"

Bertholdt made a nervous whimpering sound, and then chuckled. ' _Y-Yes, but not that much..._ '

Annie nodded slowly. "You should sing more often; you have a lovely voice," she repeated.

' _I agree,_ ' Reiner spoke up softly, from somewhere to her right.

' _I-I-I... i-it was a-a requirement., b-back home. H-Heavenly choruses, and whatnot._ '

Annie smiled at the thought.

' _Do you ever miss it?_ ' Reiner asked gently. ' _Heaven, I mean?_ '

Bertholdt laughed shallowly; a bit nervously. ' _I-I..._ ' he began, and then took a steadying breath. ' _Yes, I used to... all the time. But I don't regret anything._

_'Being here, with the two of you... Friends are what make heaven anything more than a pleasant city of clouds, and I... never had any. You two have made earth... far more appealing than heaven ever was._ '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Thank heavens- I couldn't deal with the voices being nameless for one more chapter, dear goodness....) 
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated if you enjoyed~!


	7. On Sicknesses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brace yourself, because all sorts of shit is about to hit the fan (don't you just love that phrase? isn't it just so accurate?).

' _They killed me...!_ '

' _Here...! They did it here...!_ '

' _They tortured us...!_ '

' _They maimed us...!_ '

' _They killed us...!_ '

' _Right here!_ '

' _This is where it all happened...!_ '

' _Burn it...!_ '

' _Annie, help us...!_ '

' _Help us be at peace...!_ '

' _Annie, please...!_ '

' _Help us...!_ '

' _Burn it...!_ '

' _Please...!_ '

' _Annie, please...!_ '

' _Burn it...!_ '

' _Burn it...!_ '

 _BURN IT_

Annie gasped, bolting upright in her bed. Bertholdt and Reiner made small, startled noises, but even the soft sounds of their voices made the girl relax slightly. She put one hand to her head.

' _Wh-What's the matter...?_ ' Bertholdt asked, after a moment.

"I was... remembering..." Annie mumbled. "... I think. The voices that told me to burn down that warehouse, then... they really were the dead victims of some horrible crime..."

' _Hmm..._ ' Bertholdt made an affirmative sound. ' _They were fixated spirits. They couldn't move on until the place they had been killed no longer existed. You did a good thing, releasing them from that torment._ '

 _Why couldn't you have told me that before?_ Annie bit back the angry question; she knew the answer. It had been two days, besides, since Bertholdt's revolution, and most of her already dilute anger had faded. So instead she simply said, "I'm glad." Rising fluidly, the girl looked around. "Who's here?"

' _Just Reiner and I,_ ' Bertholdt said. ' _Armin is back at his hospital room, and I don't know where Mina's gone._ '

"Mm..." Annie rubbed her eyes groggily, then rose from the bed and shambled into her bathroom. After running quickly through her morning routine, she glanced at the clock. She still had several hours before she was due at work, and smiled slightly. "I think I'll stop by Armin's room. Are you two coming?"

' _Sure,_ ' Reiner rumbled, and Bertholdt made a timid, affirmative noise. And so the three of them set off, Annie aware, no less vividly than the day she found out, of the fact that she had an angel and a ghost beside her.

The area around the hospital seemed even dingier than it usually did- there was a man begging for his medical expenses on the side of the road, and Annie felt a momentary stab of sympathy. He was as invisible to society as she was, and so she paused.

"Here," she said, not dropping some spare change into his hat, but instead pressing what cash she had into his calloused hand. She held eye contact for a long moment, and then turned to enter the hospital.

A girl was coming out as she went in; Annie, her mind still on the homeless man, didn't see her in enough time to swerve as the girl plowed into her. Though taller than Annie, she felt as light as air, almost bouncing off the blonde.

"Hey..." Annie began, a bit sorely, but stopped when she saw the girl's face- her huge, hollow eyes and sharp cheekbones, her skin obviously two shades paler than it should have been and her freckles standing out in vivid relief. She was shaking like a leaf, and as Annie watched she reached up to clutch at her own boney shoulders.

"Over..." she whispered furtively, her pupils dilating and then contracting sharply. "Over... it's... it's over..."

"What's...?" Annie began hesitantly, but the girl pushed suddenly and violently past her, beginning to sob as she raced out into the street. Annie watched as she slipped, skinning her shins and staying down for a moment, crumpled on her knees on the pavement, her whole body convulsing.

' _Is she... sick...?_ ' Reiner asked, and Bertholdt made a soft, negative sound.

' _Only with grief,_ ' the angel said heavily. ' _... She reeks of death. But no- not her own._ '

Annie shivered violently, impulsively reaching up and gripping her own shoulders. With an effort, she turned and made her way farther into the hospital, forcing her steps to be steady as she walked away from the fallen girl.

"It's none of our concern. Come on- let's go see Armin."

_Armin... who I could lose any day…_

_... Is it wise, getting attached to a boy who may as well be dying...? Is it wise... if his death may reduce me to... that...?_

Armin's door was wide open when Annie approached it. Relieved, she walked a bit faster, feeling a cool pleasure start to flood her chest as she turned the corner; saw him lying, undisturbed, in his bed.

"Armin!" she called expectantly, but suddenly found her path blocked by one Mikasa Ackerman.

"You picked the wrong day to come visiting, Leonheart."

Annie felt her shoulders stiffen. "Out of my way, Ackerman. I'm here to see Armin."

"You have no right to see Armin," Mikasa snapped, taking a step forward and forcing the blonde girl a step back. "Eren is at work- unless Armin sits up in that bed and starts talking, you have no one to take your side."

Annie bristled, but was distracted a moment later by Bertholdt's voice from behind Mikasa; within the hospital room.

' _Armin isn't here!_ ' he called out. ' _I-I mean... his body is, of course, and_ it _seems just fine, but..._ he _isn't!_ '

Annie furrowed her brow. For a moment, she wondered if it would be wise to speak to Bertholdt in front of Mikasa, but then she decided that she simply didn't care. "Maybe he's with Eren? If he isn't here and he isn't with us..."

Mikasa shoved the visitor abruptly in the chest, making Annie stumble backwards. "Get your insanity out of here," she hissed, "and _keep_ it away. This is your last warning, Leonheart. _Leave_."

"You have no authority over me," Annie replied, feeling her upper lip twitch back. She reclaimed the lost ground, until she was almost nose to nose with Mikasa Ackerman. The dark-haired girl narrowed her eyes.

"Annie, leave. Leave while you still have the chance. I will stop at nothing to protect my family- don't make me prove that."

"I'm scared absolutely shitless," Annie retorted, but suddenly Mina’s voice was in her ears; speaking frantically.

' _Annie, there are whitecoats here!_ '

Annie felt her eyes widen, the cool and calm feeling in her chest turning into a heavy and icy panic. Mikasa noticed the change, but didn't have time to question it before Annie spoke.

"You couldn't have!"

Mikasa's eyes narrowed. "... I couldn't have... what?"

"You called the psyche ward?" Annie demanded, her chest tightening with panic. She could hear more and more of her voices stirring, now, with concern, and their rumblings only worked her more rapidly into a panic.

Mikasa looked duly surprised, but recovered herself quickly. "... I don't have any more time to indulge your fantasies."

' _Annie, we have to get out of here!!_ ' Mina screamed, just as two men in snow-white coats appeared at the end of the hallway.

"This is the one!" Mikasa called, her voice chillingly steady as she pointed at Annie. The blonde panicked; bolted; tried to run.

She should have know it wouldn't work, but still cried out in surprise as her shoulder was grabbed painfully.

' _A-Annie-!_ ' Bertholdt shrieked with alarm as she cried out, pulled back into the restraining embrace of a very large man.

"Let... let go of me...!" Annie snarled, writhing, but her efforts got her nowhere. "I've done nothing wrong...!"

"She struck me." Mikasa's voice was calm. "Check the hallway security camera. She said that her... _voices_ told her to do it."

And, in that instant, Annie went limp. Despite the protests of her boys and despite the frantic shrieking of Mina, she knew that she was finished. She had been lucky to escape commitment before; now, though, she knew she was finished. Mikasa had seen to that.

"His grandfather died, didn't he?"

Mikasa looked down. "... There isn't any more time to indulge in pleasant fantasies."

And Annie surrendered to being dragged away, then, as every one of the voices in her head fell eerily silent- her own included.

... ... ...

"Order up! Table 27- two eggs over easy, three slices of bacon and a side of hash browns!"

"I got it, Sash!" Eren called, trotting over toward the counter and retrieving the tray. The cook, Sasha, waved her spatula at him through the serving window threateningly.

"Slow down! You'll kill yourself _and_ wreck my masterpiece if you fall!"

"Rodger!" Eren said seriously, and then dashed off to table 27. He nearly ran bodily into another server, Connie, who yelped and cursed at him as he called a hurried apology over his shoulder.

Armin watched it all happen from near the ceiling with a small smile on his face.

' _Armin._ '

The spirit jumped, startled by the sudden voice close by his side. ' _B-Bertholdt...?_ ' he asked, once he had the breath to be able to. ' _You scared me half to death...!_ '

The angel didn't reply for a long moment, and then took a deep breath. ' _... Do you remember what we talked about, a few nights ago?_ ' he asked finally, and Armin felt a thrill of apprehension.

' _Of... course I do. ... Why...?_ '

' _Your grandfather is dead._ '

One of Armin's hands flew to his mouth as he choked on a silent, immaterial sob. ' _Wh-What...?_ '

Bertholdt sighed. ' _Your grandfather is dead. B-But your grief is the least of your priorities._ '

' _... What do you mean...?_ ' the spirit whispered.

Again the angel hesitated, his words heavy and trembling when he answered. ' _Armin, they're going to let your body die now. With your grandfather gone, there's no one left to advocate for you. Mikasa and Eren,_ legally _, have no say in the matter._ '

Armin's spirit lost every vestige of color for a moment, and then burst into a vivid display of shimmering. ' _Th-they can't do that!! It must not be true!!_ '

Bertholdt was silent again, and Armin wished that he could see the angel like the angel could see him. At last Bertholdt sighed.

' _It is true. I-It's "do or die" time for you, literally. Get back into your body before it dies, or... never get back at all._ '

Then it was Armin's turn to be silent; his color dimmed as he hovered there, trying to come to terms with what had been set in motion.

' _Does... Annie know...?_ ' he asked at last, and Bertholdt made a sad little sound.

' _Well... yes. M-Mikasa... more or less told her. That fight, between the two of them? That was... because Mikasa knew this was going to happen... and wanted Annie to stop fostering Eren's hope._ '

Armin shivered with the horrible truth of the situation. ' _Mikasa knew... all along...?_ ' he whispered, and then gave himself a mental shake. ' _Where is Annie now? I need to speak to her._ '

Bertholdt didn't reply for a long moment- so long in fact that Armin, uncertain and functionally blind, wondered if the angel had left. But eventually Bertholdt took an audible, shuddering breath.

' _A-Annie... is in custody. Mikasa... h-had the psychiatric ward called... t-told them that Annie attacked her, at the urging of the voices in her head. Th-they have security camera footage, too._ '

' _What?!_ ' Armin demanded breathily. ' _No; Mikasa didn't-!_ '

' _She did,_ ' Bertholdt interrupted; sighed heavily. ' _... She thinks she's protecting Eren._ '

' _She... no...!_ ' Armin repeated, knotting one hand in his own hair. ' _Oh_ no _..._ '

' _The only reason Annie was let loose before was because the fire she caused didn't harm anyone,_ ' Bertholdt said softly. ' _But now... I don't know. She may well be committed to a psych ward... it all depends on the judge._ ' 

' _... Do you know..._ when _I'll be... be..._ ' Armin found he couldn't say it. Bertholdt made a crooning, sympathetic noise. 

' _N-No... your condition was unchanged when I saw you earlier, but... soon. P-Probably soon._ ' 

Armin felt himself begin to shake, clutching involuntarily at his own shoulders. The sounds of the restaurant below faded in and out of his ears- the living; Eren. 

"Oi, Sasha! I really need that fruit platter for table twelve!" 

"Don't rush art, you imbecile!" 

' _I-I... I need to get back..._ ' 

Bertholdt sighed. ' _I... d-don't know if you can,_ ' he said gently. ' _Maybe... you should prepare yours--_ ' 

' _No!_ ' Armin startled even himself with the shout, and then lowered his voice again. ' _No, I_ have _to get back... and I_ will _get back!_ ' 

Bertholdt drew a breath, but let it out before speaking. Then he laughed softly, saying finally, ' _Alright, Armin. I-I'll... help, if I can._ ' 

' _... But first... I have to see Annie,_ ' the spirit whispered. ' _You'll... take me to her...?_ ' 

' _Of course._ ' 

Nodding slightly, Armin drifted down to the floor, falling in beside Eren as he rushed to another table. ' _I'll... see you soon, Eren,_ ' he said, although he knew the boy couldn't hear him. Even then, though, Eren slowed; looked straight at him, as he sometimes would. 

"... Armin?" 

Smiling sadly, Armin reached out and placed one ephemeral hand on either of his friend's cheeks, pressing their foreheads together and hoping that Eren could feel it. ' _I'll be back soon, Eren. Please don't give up on me._ ' 

And then he returned to where Bertholdt was waiting patiently, trying not to look back at his best friend; Eren stared, eyes unfocused, up after him, but was called away a moment later by a customer. Armin took a deep, shuddering breath. 

' _Alright... let's go see Annie._ ' 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! See you all soon~


	8. On Releases

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As part of AruAni week over on tumblr, I'll be posting three chapters of this throughout the day! So look forward to it~ and forgive my brevity in terms of comments. 
> 
> A quick note- I usually headcanon Annie's father entirely different from this, but for the sake of this particular scenario........

The holding cell was comfortable enough, at least.

And at least she wasn't want for company.

"I don't know what to do, Reiner..."

The boy grunted. _'Take it one step at a time, Annie. Mina said she would keep an eye on Armin's body, so don't worry about that for now.'_

"I'll try..." the girl murmured, lying down on her side with her limbs curled tightly against her. "What should I worry about, then? Spending the rest of my life in an insane asylum?"

_'You're not insane,'_ Reiner said determinedly, and Annie laughed hollowly.

"Yeah, of course the voices I hear know that. Any chance you could speak on my behalf in front of the judge?"

Reiner was silent for a moment, and then cleared his throat. _'... It'll all work out, Annie. I'm sure it will.'_

Annie let her eyes close. "I wish I could have your confidence..."

_'Annie!'_

The girl sat up, her heart swelling suddenly as a faint but familiar heat enveloped her. "Armin..."

_'Bertholdt told me everything,'_ the spirit said, his voice thick. _'I'm so sorry, Annie. If I thought something like this was going to happen, with Mikasa, I--'_

"You shouldn't be apologizing to me." Annie cut him off. "Armin, you're the one who's in real danger here."

The spirit fell silent for a moment. _'... It'll work out,'_ he said eventually. _'I... it isn't that bad. I-I just have to find a way back before my body dies, right?'_ His voice cracked on the last word, and Annie felt her stomach twist.

"... Right," she said softly, trying to sound more confident than she felt. She reached out one hand; felt that heat surround it. "For now, don't worry about me; go back to your body. It needs you more than I do right now."

Armin hesitated for a moment, making a discontented sound in the back of his throat. _'... Alright,'_ he said finally, _'b-but send someone for me if you need me, okay? Promise. Even if you just need to talk, send someone to get me, okay?'_

Annie couldn't help but smile. "Okay. And you'll keep me updated on your condition, in return."

_'I-I will.'_

"I'll talk to you soon, then."

_'A-Alright.'_

Annie felt the warmth fade slightly from her hand, and drew the limb back to herself. She felt her hair rustled slightly; Bertholdt, then, with his limited ability to interact with the living world.

_'E-Everything will work out. Armin... h-he's a smart kid. And he's... motivated. He'll find a way to get through this.'_

_'As will you, Annie,'_ Reiner put in. _'You're too strong to let something like this get you. You'll be fine- you'll be out of here before you know it.'_

Annie sighed; closed her eyes and tried to ignore the persistent ache in the back of her throat.

"... Thank you, boys."

"Ms. Leonheart?"

Annie looked up; there was a man outside her cell, the gun and handcuffs at his hip identifying him as a police officer.

"That's me."

"..." The man hesitated, seeming a bit nervous. "... Do you have... a lawyer you'd like to call? Or would you prefer we appoint one?"

Annie narrowed her eyes. "Look at my file before you bother me. I didn't want a lawyer the last time, and I don't want one now. It's a simple enough process- I make my case in front of the judge, and they decide my fate. I don't want some half-hearted lawyer between the two of us; it will be far simpler and more effective if I just defend myself."

The policeman looked genuinely insulted for a moment, but then nodded and said tersely, "As you like," and walked away again. Annie let her eyes close again with a sigh.

"... What am I doing, boys...?"

And Bertholdt replied, heavily, _'... The best you can.'_

... ... ...

"... How long will he stay alive... after...?"

"It depends," the doctor said briskly. "Some pass on within minutes, and others linger for days. But nothing will be done to interrupt the process."

"... He won't be uncomfortable?"

_'You don't believe I'm still_ alive _, Mikasa...'_ Armin mumbled, fear and anxiety making him hostile. _'What do you care if my body is uncomfortable?'_

But he instantly regretted it. The girl looked earnestly worried, her face pale and her eyes wide. She didn't like this, Armin knew; if she had wanted his body dead, she would have pushed for the plug to be pulled far earlier. His grandfather, he admitted reluctantly, probably would have agreed with her. But now _no one_ had a choice in the matter, and so Armin found himself watching the doctor approach his bed.

"If you would like, you can keep his mouth moist," the man informed Mikasa. "I doubt he has any amount of sensation left, but dry mouth is often the most uncomfortable thing for such patients as dehydration sets in. And, of course, you can hold his hand and talk to him, if you wish."

Mikasa nodded slightly, but didn't speak; didn't move to take Armin's hand.

_'I can't feel it, Mikasa, but it would help a little...'_

"... Would you rather wait to do this for your brother to he here?" one nurse asked suddenly. "You two are always--"

Mikasa shook her head sharply. "No. Eren would try to stop it, and it can't be stopped at this point. Better he returns and finds there's nothing to be done."

The nurse looked genuinely uncomfortable for a moment, but then nodded; the doctor did, as well.

"Very well," he said, coming forward. Armin winced- physically flinched -each time a machine was unplugged or a sensor unhooked from his papery skin. The drip that supplied his fluids was removed; the catheter that supplied his nutrients.

_'Oh god no...'_ Armin suddenly heard himself choking out- his body looked so tiny and heartbreakingly vulnerable without its covering of wires and tubes, left to fend entirely for itself. When the respirator was removed, he braced to see himself stop breathing... but his chest continued to rise and fall shallowly.

_That shouldn't have been a surprise…_ he chastised himself shakily. _Eren removes the respirator whenever he bathes me... I-I'm just getting jumpy…_

"Alright," the doctor said, as the nurse gathered up the various machines that had been Armin's constant companions. "Stay with him for as long as you'd like. Call us if anything changes visibly."

Mikasa nodded slightly, and then sat gingerly in the chair at the side of the room. Her eyes, just like the spirit's, were fixed on the boy's delicate body. Armin drifted lower, settling at his own bedside and leaning in over his body.

_'Help me out, here. We need to work together, you and I. I want to get back inside you, and I'm pretty sure you'd like me back inside you, too. We're under a pretty desperate time crunch, now... you especially.'_

His body, of course, didn't reply. Armin sighed, laying his head down on his arms beside his own pillow.

_'Alright... I'm on my own, then.'_ He rose; glanced at Mikasa; lay one immaterial hand on his own head. _'Just... hang in there. I'll... figure this thing out, so... just hang in there.'_

... ... ...

_'H-How are you holding up, Annie?'_

_'Bertholdt!'_ Reiner greeted the returning angel happily, and Annie sighed.

"Well enough, I suppose. Any news about Armin?"

_'No… b-but I’ve dug up a couple of leads. I just wanted to check in before I followed up on them.'_

"Hmm..." Annie massaged her forehead with one hand. "I'm... so afraid for him..." she murmured. She didn't admit to her boys that she was scared for herself, as well- she had let herself get attached.

_'Y-Yes, Annie. I do. A-At least... I think I do. But I... I cherish you. I never... want to leave you.'_

_"Armin, I can't answer the question of love as easily as you can. But I can say... that I cherish you, as well. And you are something very special- don't ever let me catch you saying otherwise."_

"If his body dies, will his spirit remain a ghost?" she asked, to distract herself from the tender memory.

_'I-I think so...'_ Bertholdt said. _'Its surprisingly easy to get stuck here, as a ghost... and he has so many attachments that I would be very surprised if they didn't keep him here.'_

_So would I even be losing him, really...?_ Annie wondered, and then shook her head. She had never been one for lying to herself, and she would be if she thought she hadn't hoped for more from Armin- if she hadn't hoped, one day, that he would regain a physical form. If that was no longer a possibility, it _would_ be almost like a death.

"Annie Leonheart?"

The girl glanced up; again it was the guard. "What?"

"You have a visitor."

Annie's eyes narrowed. "Whoever they are, send them away. I don't feel like talking," she spat. _At least not to the living…_

"He says he's your father."

Annie felt her whole body chill. "What...?"

_'That man has no business here,'_ Reiner growled, his voice vibrating with barely controlled anger.

_'Just refuse to see him, Annie,'_ Bertholdt urged. _'You don't need something else to worry about.'_

But Annie stood slowly, her eyes wide and her voice shallow. "No... I... _want_ to see him. I haven't been home in..."

_'You haven't been home because he kicked you out,'_ Reiner pointed out, his voice rising with anger.

_'He won't have anything positive to say...'_ Bertholdt put in, _'and the last thing you need right now is more negativity.'_

Annie ignored them both, speaking instead to the guard. "Send him in."

The policeman nodded, and then slipped off back down the hall. Annie hurriedly pulled her hair, hanging in tangles at her shoulders, up into a messy bun; rubbed her eyes with the back of one hand, determined to wipe away any traces of tears.

_'Annie... you don't have to do this...'_ Bertholdt whispered, but the girl shook her head.

"I do. ... I do, Bertl... but thank you."

The footsteps coming down the hall seemed unnaturally loud, and Annie found herself sitting up fractionally straighter each time one reached her ears, until her spine felt like it might snap from the tension. She crossed her legs; uncrossed them; balled her hands into fists on her lap, arms held straight and rigid.

But all her fidgetting stopped when he came into sight- the man who had made her childhood a living hell, along with the guard.

"Open the door." His voice sent shivers up her spine, and Reiner gave a deep, rumbling growl.

_'If we never saw him again, it would have been too soon.'_

_'A-Annie...'_ Bertholdt whispered, but the girl was focused on the living man now stepping into her cell. He pulled up the metal chair; set it down backwards, and sat with the back of it between his knees.

"You look horrific."

Annie felt a bitter taste flood her mouth, and swallowed hard before she could stop the reflex. Her father shook his head.

"I tried to raise you right, after your mother died," he said, his voice dripping saccharine regret. "And now--"

"Why did you come here?" Annie cut him off suddenly, terrified to let him finish. "I agreed to see you because I was curious- that's all."

"I came here to see my daughter one last time before she's locked away for the rest of her life," Mr. Leonheart retorted, and Annie flinched.

"I'm not a child anymore," she said softly. "You can't speak to me like that."

"No matter how old you get, you'll always be a child!" the man said. "And I'm your father- I'll speak to you however I think appropriate!"

"You've never tried to understand me- never," Annie said. "You have no right to call me your daughter."

"I understand you as well as anyone can understand a mentally unstable criminal," Mr. Leonheart said, his voice low. Reiner and Bertholdt's voices rose in objection.

"I'm through with you calling me things like that," Annie said calmly, rising despite her incessant trembling. "If you want to talk to me, talk; if not, I'll have the guard remove you."

"As if you would have the nerve to," her father replied. "You've always been too scared to go against me."

And Annie took the utmost pleasure in strolling up to the bars of her cell and calling out, "Guard! Guard, I'm through with this visitor. Have him removed from my sight." And she looked down slightly, at the enraged expression of her father. "Have him removed from my life."

"I no longer have daughter," Mr. Leonheart spat, as the guard was leading him by one arm from the cell. Annie simply lifted her chin.

_Yes… if I can face this man, no judge in the world can intimidate me._

"I've never had a father."

There was a moment of silence as the bars clanged shut, and then a flood of softly congratulatory voices swamped Annie, her boys' among them. And she simply drank them in, sitting in her cell and pondering her sudden freedom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave comments and kudos if you enjoyed~ and I'll see you later today!


	9. On Angels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Later than expected, but I will get the promised chapters up before I give in to sleep! 
> 
> (God I love this chapter....)
> 
> You know what the most pain in the ass thing about this whole fanfiction is? When the html for the italics gets messed up. It throws literally everything off. D:

_'... I can barely believe I'm still breathing...'_ Armin whispered, hollow eyes locked on his body. _'Its been... three days...'_

_'You aren't ready to go,'_ Mina said simply. She was watching Eren, who had his head buried in folded arms on the side of his friend's bed. His shoulders would occasionally convulse with a sob, but he had already exhausted himself long ago. Mikasa stood in the corner, her eyes hooded.

"Eren, please..." the girl said softly. Her brother ignored her, though, and so she fell silent once again.

And they, as well as the ghosts, continued their vigil.

... ... ...

"Miss Annie Leonheart, please stand before the honorable Judge Reiss."

Annie stood.

"You'll be representing yourself, Miss Leonheart?" the judge asked, and the girl nodded.

"Yes. I believe that I'm best qualified to explain why I struck Miss Mikasa Ackerman."

The judge raised one eyebrow. "Oh? So you plead guilty to the charges of aggravated assault?"

Annie nodded. "I do. However-"

"And what about the testimony from Miss Ackerman, that you assaulted her at the urgings of the voices in your head?" the judge cut her off with the hard question, and Annie straightened a fraction more.

_Just say no._ Her heart was hammering in her chest. _Deny it. Don't- don't admit to--_

"Yes." The words came easier than she expected them to. "It is true, at least partially. I hear voices, and they were telling me to hit Mikasa Ackerman. However, that is _not_ the reason I struck her."

The judge narrowed his eyes. "Oh. But you admit to hearing voices- as you did," he consulted his papers briefly, "two years ago when you... burned the Reeves' Company's disused warehouse to the ground."

Annie felt the skin along her spine prickle. "Yes, Your Honor, however--"

"And you don't deny that the very same voices urged you to turn violent _once again_ and strike Mikasa Ackerman."

Annie felt her heart begin to beat faster. "I don't deny it, Your Honor, however--"

"Which leads me to believe," the judge cut her off again, "that you have _nt_ been taking your court-ordered medication."

Annie bit her lip. _Shit... I forgot about the medication._ "Not exactly, Your Honor, but please allow me to--"

"Then I believe I've heard all I need to in order to make my decisions." Judge Reiss was no longer looking at her, but instead down at his desk. He raised his pen; scribbled something down. Annie felt her stomach tighten.

"Your Honor, I beg of you- please hear me out!" She had prepared so much to say; a whole, eloquent explanation. But now it appeared he wasn't even going to listen. He didn't even look up at her plea, or when he spoke again.

"Miss Leonheart, seeing as you do not deny any of the charges and you have no... proper defense, I hereby--"

Just as Annie was drawing breath to shout an objection, the door to the courtroom banged open. For a split second Annie thought it might be Eren, or perhaps even Mikasa. Her wildest steak of imagination thought that she might turn and see Armin standing in the doorway, prepared to vouch for her.

But it was, instead, a stranger. _No, not quite a stranger…_ she corrected herself, _that... woman... from the hospital._

"Honored Judge Reiss!!" the woman screeched, her voice hoarse and strained but somehow still powerful. "About to condemn some poor little shit as usual?!"

"You!" The judge's eyes flew wide. "You have a lot of nerve showing up--!"

"Oh, _I_ have a lot of nerve _showing up_?!" the woman screamed, storming up the central aisle of the courtroom. As she neared, Annie could see what a truly sorry state she was in- ragged, thin, smeared with dirt. But her eyes were blazing. "You- you're the one with a fuckton of nerve, not even showing up _once_!! She was your _daughter_ , for fuck's sake!"

_'Ymir!'_

Annie just made out the voice behind the woman's words- the ghost. She blinked in surprise, and then looked up at the red-faced judge, who had stood behind his bench.

"Clear the room!" he snapped at his assistant, who spluttered an objection. " _now_!!"

"Oh, no desire for witnesses, Your Honor?" the woman spat as the few others in the room began to drift out reluctantly.

"You have no right to-!!" the judge began to bellow, but the woman laughed over his words.

"I have no right to?!" she demanded. "I have _every_ right to!!"

_'Ymir!'_ the voice spoke up again, more frantically this time. _'Please, you'll only get yourself in trouble!'_

"Ymir...?" Annie called out tentatively, and stiffened when the woman's feral glare flashed to her. _I have to... take a chance._

"Do I know you?!" the woman demanded, and Annie shifted uneasily.

"No."

"Then how the fuck do you know my name?!"

Again Annie shifted; took a deep breath. "Because... your companion knows it. She's been calling to you."

_'You can hear me?!'_ It was a high, feminine voice, and it broke on the last word.

In the same instant, Ymir's jaw dropped. "My... companion...?" she rasped. "Are you fucking mental?"

Annie flinched internally. "No- for the thousandth time, no. I just hear ghosts, that's all." She glanced up at Judge Reiss, who was suddenly staring at her with wild interest.

"You're a schizophrenic patient off your meds and exhibiting violent tendencies," he said levelly, and Annie shook her head.

"If that's so, then why am I able to hear... what's your name?"

_'I-I...!'_ the ghost stammered, and then seemed to steady herself. _'I lived under the alias Krista Lenz, but my given name is Historia Reiss.'_

"... Then why am I hearing young Historia Reiss right now?" Annie finished; saw Judge Reiss pale. "She is clearly a real person, dead though she may be; not simply a voice in my head."

"You can hear Historia...?" Ymir rasped softly, almost limping up to where Annie stood. "She's _here_...?"

_'I've never left your side, Ymir,'_ the ghost said softly, and Annie nodded.

"Here, yes, and she says she's never left your side."

The ragged woman faltered, eyes wide and filled with tears. "Still... here..." she breathed, and then rounded on the Judge. "You hear that, Your Honor?!" she screamed. "Let her die- you still won't kill her! And you won't shut me up, either!!"

"I don't know why you're blaming me!" the Judge snapped. "It was you and your lifestyle that got her killed!"

"She would have had a fighting chance with your resources and influence!!" Ymir screamed.

_'I-I wouldn't have, Ymir...'_

"But god forbid you admit to having an illegitimate child!" the woman spat, oblivious to the ghost's words. "Better to let her _die_ in some dingy shithole of a hospital! That just takes care of that, doesn't it?!"

"You have no idea what I've gone through!!" the Judge yelled back, and suddenly Ymir had a knife out. Historia shrieked in alarm, and Annie tensed.

"You’re the one who has no idea what _I’ve_ been through!!" Ymir screamed, lurching forward. "I'll gut you like the fat fish-hearted bastard--!!"

_'Ymir, stop! No, Ymir, please don't!!'_

"Ymir, stop!" Annie lunged, grabbing the woman's boney arm. Ymir jerked at the limb, but the blonde hung on. "Histora is pleading with you to stop!"

"Why should I even believe you?!" Ymir spat. "You could be just another raving lunatic who sees this as some get out of jail free card!"

Annie felt herself begin to lose her temper, but she held it in check. "Historia! Give me some proof!"

_'Um... uuh...!'_ the ghost fretted, and then squeaked. _'Oh! The first time Ymir asked me out, she gave me red carnations and a half-eaten box of chocolates before kidnapping me!'_

"... Carnations are for that one distant relative's musical recital that you really don't want to go to, not asking someone out. You know that, right?" Annie couldn't resist asking it. Ymir instantly stopped struggling. "She says you kidnapped her for your first date; I have to say, with half a box of chocolates and _carnations_ , I'm not surprised."

_'A-And the first time we kissed was under the full moon, in someone's private garden in Stohess! We carved our initials into one of their trees afterwards.'_

"Trespassing in Stohess just to snag a kiss?" Annie continued, seeing the tears begin to drip down Ymir's shocked face. "Alright, I'm a bit impressed."

_'A-And the first time we... we _did it_ , i-it was in my hospital room! It was magical!'_

Annie grimaced. "Do you _really_ want me to blurt out the first time you 'did it' and how ‘magical’ it was in front of your _father_ , estranged or otherwise?" she asked incredulously, and the ghost squeaked in alarm.

_'I-I'm sorry...! I got c-carried away...!'_

"Shit, you really are talking to her, aren't you...?" Ymir whispered, and Annie felt her relax. She let go of the woman's arm, and the knife clattered onto the ground.

"You can confirm all of that?!" Judge Reiss demanded of Ymir, who simply nodded.

"Yeah. It's all... true."

_'Ymir, I've missed you so much! I-I love you, so much!'_

"She says she's missed you, and that she loves you," Annie said, and then shook her head. "But now isn't the time for that.

"Now is the time for unfinished business."

... ... ...

"Eren... the doctor said to keep his mouth moist, but..."

The brunette shook his head furiously, drizzling a bit more water into Armin's mouth before stroking his friend’s throat rhythmically. He kept it up until the blonde's throat convulsed reflexively, swallowing.

Armin shuddered. _'He's trying so hard... to keep me alive... and I can't seem to do a single thing.'_

_'Armin!'_

The spirit looked up questioningly; he hadn't heard the voice in days. _'Bertholdt? Have you got news about Annie?'_

_'B-Better.'_ The angel sounded breathless, but pleased. _'I've brought help.'_

_'So this is the brat you want us to help?'_

_'The scent of death is strong, but not yet overpowering. Something's holding it at bay.'_

_'Ooooh, I-I've never seen anything _like_ this!!'_

_'P-Please don't overexcited yourself!'_

_’_ All _of you should calm down. This is a boy's life we're dealing with.'_

_'Armin, these are some of the highest ranking angels in my old division,'_ Bertholdt explained excitedly, and one of the new voices snorted.

_'You need to thank this Fallen, brat. He groveled for_ days _until we agreed to come look at your worthless case.'_

_'Levi,'_ a rumbling the voice scolded, and a third gave a trilling laugh.

_'Don't be so hard on the poor kid! He's already dying as it is!'_

_'I'll be as hard on him as I want to, Shitty Glasses. We're the ones being inconvenienced.'_

_'Helping mortals is our job, Levi, not an inconvenience,'_ the rumbling voice said sternly, and Levi made a disgruntled sound.

_'Tch. Of course, Erwin.'_

_'Th-They're an interesting bunch,'_ Bertholdt said, somewhat apologetically, _'but they really are the best of the best. If there's a way to get you back into your body, this bunch will find it.'_

_'He's right.'_ The rumbling voice- Erwin -materialized beside Armin, making him jump. _'We're here to help. Don't worry.'_ The voice distanced itself slightly, then called, _'Mike- how long can his body keep fighting off Death?'_

There was a loud sniffing from beside Armin's bed. _'From the concentration of the scents, I'd say another day- at the most.'_

_'Hanji- what tests do you need run?'_

_'Moblit is collecting aura samples from the room as we speak.'_

_'Levi- are there any demons hanging about?'_

_'Three,'_ the irritated voice grunted. _'Mostly centered around the girl.'_

_'That's where I'm getting the most concentrated readings of negative energy,'_ a voice, presumably belonging to the angel Moblit, put in. _'It's throwing off the balance of the whole room.'_

_'I suppose you want me to take care of the demons, Erwin?'_ Levi asked.

_'Mm...'_ Erwin's voice rumbled. _'I suppose it wouldn't hurt. But if the girl is radiating such negativity, it'll only draw more.'_

_'So... Mikasa is...?'_ Armin began hesitantly, and Bertholdt made a sympathetic sound.

_'She isn't doing it on purpose, but negativity draws demons,'_ the Fallen explained. _'Most low-level demons feed on- as well as magnify -negativity.'_

_'So--'_ Armin was cut off by a chorus of shrill shrieking, and the angel Levi gave a satisfied huff.

_'There. Let's see how long it takes for more of them to show their ugly mugs.'_

But Armin's gaze was fixed on Mikasa- the girl who was blinking rapidly, as if awakening from a long sleep.

"Eren...?"

_'Wait, so Mikasa was_ possessed _?'_ Armin asked disbelievingly. Bertholdt began to reply, but was cut off by the excited voice of the angel Hanji.

_'N-N-Not possessed, per say- it was her own darkness that drew them to her in the first place. However, the presence of the demons enhanced her negative thoughts and feelings; while they were clinging to her, there was absolutely _n_ chance of a balance being restored within her. So all her thoughts and feelings were, indeed, still hers- not possessed, then -but that which was positive inside her never stood a chance against the negativity with the demons hanging off her.'_

_'A-And he... Levi just got rid of the demons, right?'_ Armin asked shakily, watching as Mikasa approached his bed.

_'Yes.'_ This time it was Erwin's voice. _'And get rid of any new ones that try to approach, Levi. I think that the girl is the key.'_

_'Whatever you think, Erwin.'_

_'The aura of the room has already shifted!'_ Moblit reported, and Hanji gave a short, excited shriek.

"Armin...?"

The spirit watched in amazement as Mikasa went down onto her knees beside the head of his bed. She reached out; stroked his wan cheek.

"I wish I could have known you..."

_'You can, Mikasa!'_ Armin wailed, although he never expected her to hear him. _'I'm still here- I'm still here! I'm not... I'm not dead yet! Please don't give up!'_

"He isn't dead yet," Eren murmured, approaching from the other side of the bed. He leaned over Armin's body to tangle his fingers in Mikasa's dark hair. "He's clever. If there's a way back, Mikasa, he'll figure it out. You'll see. You'll get to meet him."

"I was... so certain he was dead..." the girl whispered, and then buried her head in her arms. "Why was I so certain...? Was there... _no_ room for doubt in my mind...? At least... the certainty didn't _hurt_... not like _this_..."

_'Three more demons, incoming,'_ Levi reported, and then there was an explosion of shrieks. _'Never mind.'_

_'Good work,'_ Erwin said. _'Moblit- what sorts of readings are you getting now?'_

_'They're... they're all over the board.'_

_'That's to be expected,'_ Hanji piped up. _'The girl is being allowed to argue with herself for the first time in years. Poor thing is probably very confused.'_

_'Mikasa...'_ Armin murmured, drifting down to float beside the girl. _'Mikasa, just... please believe, I'm not... I'm not gone, not yet. I already feel like I know you; I want you to be able to get to know me.'_

_'Erwin- the death scent is getting stronger.'_

Armin whimpered at the angel's voice, and Erwin made a thoughtful noise.

_'Hanji, can you set up a Breath Barrier?'_

_'Already on it.'_

_'It's equivalent to the human contraption called an iron lung,'_ Bertholdt explained, close to Armin's ear. _'It'll keep your body's basic functions going for a bit longer.'_

_'Moblit, has the aura of the room improved at all?'_

_'Incrementally, Sir. But not much.'_

_'Erwin, there are more demons gathering. They know the kid is fading.'_

_'Take care of them, Levi.'_

_'I will for as long as I_ can _, Old Man. Even I have my limits where demonic forces are concerned.'_

_'I have faith in you, Levi.'_

_'Tch. Suit yourself.'_

_'Moblit, come help Hanji hold the barrier!'_ Mike called. _'Something's wrong- his vitals are dropping.'_

_'I think it's the demons' doing!'_ Moblit piped up. _'I-I think... they were helping keep him alive!'_

_'They were trying to milk the situation for as much as it was worth,'_ Erwin murmured. _'Keep him alive... and keep feeding off the girl.'_

_'Brazen bastards,'_ Levi grunted, and there was a shriek. _'You won't get a free lunch here any longer.'_

_'Erwin, the kid is fading!'_ Mike called, and suddenly Eren's whole body was rigid.

"Something's wrong."

_'C-Can't you do anything?!'_ Bertholdt asked shakily, and Erwin made a thoughtful sound.

_'Mm... Hanji, how long will the barrier hold?'_

_'An hour,'_ the angel huffed, and then groaned with strain. _'Maybe...?'_

_'And then he's gone!'_ Moblit panted. _'No gettin' him back after that!'_

Armin whimpered again, watching as Eren bent over his bed. The boy took his friend's pulse; began to cry softly.

"I think... he's dying."

_'Not yet...'_ Armin whispered, and then screamed it. _'Not yet!! Eren, I'm not giving up!! Please, don't you give up, either!!'_

Eren's head snapped up, his eyes unfocused and misty. "I... Armin, I... won't give up."

_'Alright. We'll try it.'_

Armin turned toward Erwin's voice, even though he couldn't see the angel. _'What?'_

_'Mike. And Bertholdt, you'll have to help too. Hanji, Moblit; maintain that barrier. And Levi, keep the demons away.'_

_'You're not thinking of _that_ , Erwin?'_ Levi asked disbelievingly, and Armin felt a shudder run through him.

_'If we don't try it, this boy will die.'_

_'Erwin, be reasonable. If we don't try he'll die, but if it fails he'll lose everything- body, soul and Fate.'_

Armin felt a phantom chill flood his spirit, and Bertholdt made a soft, sympathetic sound.

_'It's your choice, Armin,'_ the Fallen said softly. _'W-We can try... but... if we fail, you'll... c-cease to exist entirely. You won't even be able to reincarnate. You'll be... gone.'_

Armin looked again down at his body; at Eren and Mikasa crouched over him. Eren was still crying, but he was gripping his friend's thin hand so tightly that the skin of his own had turned white. And Mikasa was right beside him- stroking his hair.

And then there was the matter of Annie Leonheart.

_I couldn't even talk; think;_ be _if this doesn't work…_

_But... if we don't try…_

_I'll never be able to touch her._

_'I-I'll... try. Tell me what I need to do.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter to follow within an hour or so! Don't forget to leave comments and kudos if you enjoyed~


	10. On Interventions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's probably a typo or two. But ta-da. Mission accomplished.

"If you want this all straightened out swept under the rug, your Honor, I think you'll need my help," Annie said, and Ymir rounded on her.

"I am _not_ letting this be swept under the rug!" she hissed, and Annie narrowed her eyes.

"I just want all parties- myself included -to get what they want," she said levelly. "I want to walk out of here a free woman- what do you want?"

"I want him to pay!" Ymir spat, pointing at Judge Reiss. Annie sighed softly.

"And you, Historia?"

 _'I-I want...'_ the ghost began, and then swallowed audibly. _'I-I want Ymir to live! I-I want her to live for only herself again, like she did before she met me!'_

Annie nodded thoughtfully, taking a moment to gather her thoughts before translating, "Ymir, she says that she wants you to 'live only for yourself,' like you did before you met her."

The girl's tears began to flow again. "Just like the little princess..." she murmured. "But Historia, you changed me, and I hate you for it. I can't just live for myself anymore- I need _you_." Then she looked up at Judge Reiss, whose face was red as he listened. "I'm going to be with her, but not until I drag you and your precious reputation down to hell with me."

 _'Ymir, no!'_ Historia objected, and Annie spoke up softly. _'You can't die yet!'_

"Historia doesn't want you to do that, Ymir."

"I know," the woman said, her voice even. "But I'm selfish- she knows that about me, and loved me anyway."

"Nothing you can say will make a difference," the Judge said. "No one will listen to the likes of you."

"Unless you plan to kill me before I do it, you can't silence me," Ymir spat, her shoulders rising like a cat's hackles. "When the police look into my suicide, they'll find all the evidence I've compiled against you. They'll find _everything_ and I'm not just talking about Historia!"

Judge Reiss' face reddened further. "How dare you?!"

 _'Please, Ymir, just leave it be!'_ Historia begged, and Annie felt a jolt of annoyance. _'This won't bring me back!'_

"She already knows it won't bring you back," Annie said, exasperated, and Ymir looked over at her sharply. "That's why she's planning to kill herself. Don't you have anything more convincing I could tell her?"

"She's talking to you..."

"Girl!" the Judge called suddenly, and Annie looked up at him. "Make them both leave me alone and you'll go free!"

"You aren't really gonna be this dickwad's tool, are you girly?" Ymir asked warily, her half-feral gaze narrowing at Annie. The blonde shifted uneasily.

"No... but I do want my freedom," she said, "and this 'dickwad' holds my fate in his filthy hands at the moment."

"So you'd let us suffer for your own damn sake," Ymir spat, and suddenly Annie was bristling.

"Not just mine! I have someone that I love, too- someone that I would get much like to reunite with someday!"

 _'Ymir, please! Let's help her!'_ Historia said suddenly. _'If my death can... can keep an innocent girl out of jail and reunite her with someone she loves, let's please do what we can!'_

_"Someone she loves..."_

_Did I... just say..._

_... love...?_

"Historia wants to help me," she said softly. "You're welcome to not believe me- I could say whatever words I wanted to and say they were hers. But please believe me when I say: Historia said, 'if my death can help reunite an innocent girl with someone she loves...

'... then please, Ymir, let's do what we can.'"

... ... ...

_'Mina... are you still here?'_

_'I-I'm right here, Armin. What is it?'_

Armin was grateful, for once, that spirits were invisible to one another; it meant that she couldn't see him trembling. 

_'If this doesn't work, please tell Annie that I... that I love her, and I'm sorry for everything I've put her through.'_

_'... Of course.'_

_'... We're ready for you, Armin.'_ Bertholdt's voice was soft; respectful. _'Come and hover over your body for me.'_

Armin nodded forcefully, swallowing hard. As he drifted over his bed, he felt a crackle of energy and he saw, just briefly, the figures gathered around him- the two massive angels Erwin and Mike, along with the willowy figure of Bertholdt in a triangle around his bed; Hanji and Moblit, their hands glowing, a bit farther back on either side; the surprisingly compact Levi staring down a pair of demons. But it was only a glimpse, and then his vision was dominated once again by his comatose body; by his living friends, willing him to come back with tears in both their eyes.

_'What can I do to help?'_

_'Focus,'_ Erwin replied. _'Focus on getting back- on what it'll be like to be back. That's the best thing you can do.'_

 _'We won't let you down,'_ Bertholdt said softly.

And Armin nodded; closed his eyes and imagined, with all the power of will that he had, what it would feel like to touch and once again be touched.

... ... ...

"Ask her what she wants me to do now."

_'Live! I want you to live your life, Ymir!'_

"She says to live your life."

The ragged woman laughed harshly- it was more a bark, really. "That's easier said than done, Princess."

"... I haven't properly said thank you," Annie said a last, a touch awkwardly. "You didn't have to believe me, and even then you didn't have to do what you did."

Ymir scoffed. "Shut up. I _know_ Historia, and the bullshit you were spouting in there sounded exactly like her brand of bullshit."

_'Ymir...!'_

"'Ymir...!'" Annie echoed, and the named laughed.

"Yeah, like that..."

 _'Ymir, you laughed!'_ Historia chirped. _'I'm so glad! You haven't laughed... since...'_

"She's glad to hear you laugh for the first time since..." Annie trailed off as Historia did, and Ymir's expression softened.

"I guess maybe I do have a shot at living, if I can still laugh."

 _'I'll always be with you, Ymir,'_ Historia said, and Annie translated.

"Wouldn't it be easier for me to move on if you just went on ahead to the afterlife?" Ymir asked wryly, and the ghost gave a giggle.

_'I'm just as selfish as you, you know.'_

Just as Annie relayed the message, chuckling despite herself as Ymir burst out laughing and grumbled something about sainthood, the two girls pulled up beside the hospital. They both gazed up at it, one in anxious longing and one in deep sadness.

"Your loved one is here?"

"Hopefully he still is."

Ymir softened with sympathy; placed one hand on Annie's shoulder and squeezed. "Call me, okay?"

"I will."

And then they parted, neither one for sentimentality. Annie felt her feet begin to drag as she ascended the stairs; came into sight of his room.

_It's been... days._

_What if he's dead...?_

_'Annie!'_

"Mina?" There were tears in the girl's voice, and Annie felt her heart drop. "What? What's happened?"

 _'I... it’s Armin!'_ the girl said, her voice shaking as she struggled to get the words out. _'Come… come quickly! There’s something..._

_'Something he wanted you to know!'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll have the next chapter up soon, promise~ things are drawing to a close. Please remember to leave kudos and comments if you're enjoying~ They make the lost sleep so entirely worth it!


	11. On Wakings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MY DEEPEST AND PERSONAL APOLOGIES to anyone who thought this was abandoned, to everyone waiting, and to new readers distressed by the lack of updates!   
> MY EARNEST GRATITUDE to those who left reviews and reminded me that this fic existed and most definitely needed a proper ending! 
> 
> I think this'll be the last chapter, plus an epilogue that I've had in mind since this whole thing began. Please do enjoy, and thank you for sticking with me! <3

"Armin!!"

Annie lurched past Mina; she didn't want to listen to any messages— she wanted to hear Armin's voice.

Bursting into the hospital room, she tried to shut out her own worst fears; she didn't want to think about any reason he might need a message carried- she wanted to _see him_.

And there he was, as he had always been— lying, still and silent and peaceful, on his bed. Yet a strange energy charged the room, making Annie's hair stand on end and her spine prickle. Her vision blurred for a moment; she staggered. But then she was stumbling toward the bed.

"Annie..." Eren greeted her with a tearstained voice. "Armin, he's...

"... fighting."

_'Annie.'_

"Bertholdt...?" The strange energy was fading, easing into the familiar sensation of many spirits around her. "What's going on...?"

 _'It's up to the boy, now,'_ a voice that Annie didn't know said, rumbling as it spoke. _'We've done what we can.'_

_'A-Annie, these are the archangels Erwin, Levi, Mike, Hanji, and Moblit. Th-they... they just tried to get Armin back in his body. I-I... we don't know if it worked yet.'_

"Annie..."

The girl stiffened, for a moment; turned to see Mikasa watching her with dark eyes from her position kneeling by the bed. But her gaze was much softer than it had been, sad and vulnerable. And, after a moment, she moved over just fractionally to allow Annie to crouch beside the boy's pillow.

"... Armin."

His skin was as papery as ever, pale and fragile. She stroked his cheek, willing him to respond to the touch he claimed to craved so badly.

"... Please come back."

 _'Annie...'_ That was Mina again, behind her. _'Armin, he... he wanted me to tell you—'_

"Armin!"

Eren had stood abruptly, rigid from head to toe and staring down at his friend's unmoving body. Annie didn't dare to take her eyes from the boy's face as the seconds ticked by, all the voices inside and out of her head falling silent.

Armin's eyelids fluttered.

That tiny motion slammed into Annie's chest, forcing the breath from her lungs like a physical blow. Eren, still stiff as a board, swallowed hard.

And then the boy's eyes opened.

Annie's heart skipped a beat as his crystalline blue gaze fell on her, so much more beautiful than she could ever have imagined, yet still watery and heartrendingly weak. His lips twitched up just slightly in what attempted to be a smile. Then his eyes shifted to look at Eren, who seemed to be mute with amazement and joy, tears pouring down his face. And finally those blue eyes brushed Mikasa, overflowing with gratitude and happiness.

Just as soon as they had opened, his eyes slipped shut again. It was a previous moment of consciousness— fleeting. But as his breath settled into a steady rhythm and Eren ran to get a doctor, Bertholdt let out a weak, relieved laugh.

_'He made it back... he did it...!'_

A chorus of cheers erupted from the archangels and all the other voices, but Annie couldn't find the will to respond to them. She wanted to speak to the living boy before her; she wanted to give her full attention to him. And, for the first time in her memory, she was able to focus through the voices in her ears.

"Annie..."

That was Mikasa, and Annie tore her eyes away from Armin for a moment to look at the other girl. Mikasa's dark eyes were swimming, and she shook her head slightly.

"I owe you much more than an apology."

But Annie shook her head, too. "Forget it."

And, with that understanding, the two girls sat silently together as Eren returned excitedly with a whole pack of doctors on his tail.

... ... …

The damage to Armin's body was nothing easily overlooked. Being in such a catatonic state for fifteen years had rendered his muscles completely useless, and his organs were functioning at such a low level that they could barely keep him alive.

But for someone who had overcome the boundary between life and afterlife, mere obstacles of the flesh were hardly intimidating.

Day by day, Armin Arlert managed to stay awake for longer and longer periods of time. It was a hurdle in and of itself to speak, but that was one of the first normal functions to return to him.

He had innumerable things to say to Eren and Mikasa, after all, and one very specific thing to tell Annie Leonheart.

"I love you."

"And I love you," was her reply, as she kissed his papery lips gently.

It had been a suggestion from Ymir— whom Annie kept in close touch with —to contact the media with their story. Although Annie and Mikasa had both been reluctant, even they had seen the wisdom in mining that particular resource. So an ecstatic Eren had spoken to a handful of reporters, and a spotlight on Armin Arlert and his miraculous recovery had aired on a local news station.

Within days, the story had garnered enough of a following to be considered a phenomenon.

With publicity came funds, and with funds came better medical treatment. That included physical therapists, and Armin's condition began to improve faster. Annie and Mikasa spent the majority of their time hiding from cameras, but Eren was more than happy to take the brunt of the media attention.

Within a week, Armin had a small army of supporters lending their hearts and pocketbooks to his recovery effort.

According to the doctors, the prospects for a full recovery were less than mediocre. But again, it was hardly a challenge compared to what he had already been through, and Armin didn't flinch from it.

He had the best of motivation, after all. 

"Hey, Bertholdt." 

Annie's timid boy responded with a soft, _’Hmm?’_

“Remember?” 

_’Yeah.’_

“I’m back in my body." He could barely raise his head off the pillow. "And I’m holding you to your word.” 

_’... I’m glad. I wouldn’t try to take it back, you know.’_

“I wouldn’t let her go so easily, in your position.” 

And Bertholdt laughed weakly. _’Well, it isn’t exactly… it isn’t easy. But it’s her decision more than mine.’_

_’And we have each other besides,’_ Reiner spoke up. _’Right, Bertl?’_

There was a smile in the angel’s voice as he replied, _’Right._

 _‘So… just… take good care of our Annie, okay?’_

And Armin swore, “I will, with my life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remember to leave a comment if you enjoyed! I promise the epilogue won't be half a year in coming, not by a long shot. ^^;;


	12. (Epilogue) On Experiences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this managed to take much longer than I thought it would anyway, but here's the epilogue (and proper conclusion of Insensate) at last! Thank you so much for anyone who's taken the time to read this fic, especially those who've left comments and kudos along the way! I owe you all bits and pieces of my soul. <3

One thing that Armin missed was the limitless freedom.

As a disembodied spirit, he had enjoyed the ability to go anywhere at any time. While it was true that he hadn't usually strayed far from the hospital, he hadn't been trapped there. Finding himself bound to a body that was for all intents and purposes immobile was understandably frustrating. He would take it over the alternative, of course, and tried not to complain, but it did ware at him.

However, it wasn't as if he didn't have _any_ means of escape from the monotony of physical therapy and general hospital life.

"Now, you just take it easy for the day, Alert-san," a polite nurse told him, patting his shoulder. The blonde boy nodded, blinking up at her with earnest blue eyes.

"I will."

"Good." The kindly girl smiled at him once again, then whisked out of the room. It was only a heartbeat before Armin sat back up, altogether tired of lying on his back, and sighed softly.

"'Take it easy...'" he muttered, then turned at the soft laugh by his door.

"You, Armin Arlert, look entirely bored with life."

"Annie...!" Armin greeted her, his frustration vanishing in a wave of affection. She strode over to his bed; leaned down and brushed her lips against his in greeting.

"What do you say we get you out of here today?"

It was just a whispered breath against his skin, and Armin stiffened. "Annie, what...?"

But the girl had already moved away, busily unplugging various monitors and unhooking an IV drip. Armin watched in amazement, then looked up as another person entered the room.

"Eren's keeping the nurses occupied," Mikasa said, a smile just visible in her dark, shining eyes. She pushed a wheelchair into the room, then stood by the doorframe as if keeping watch.

"Annie, what's—?" Armin began to ask again, but cut off with a squeak as he was hoisted from the bed. He looped thin arms around her neck automatically, disoriented by the flurry of movement. "Annie...!"

"Are you up for it?" the girl asked softly— playful but also serious, and wanting a serious answer.

So Armin, after a pause, nodded resolutely. "Yes, Annie."

The girl's expression softened into a small smile, and she kissed him on the nose before turning and setting him gently in the wheelchair. Armin, releasing her, gripped the armrests until his knuckles went white— whiter than they already were. But his expression was set, eyes sparkling with excitement and apprehension.

"I'll run interference," Mikasa said, pressing her forehead briefly to Armin's and then darting into the hallway ahead of them. Annie followed a moment later, slower.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll just have to wait and see," was Annie's only reply, and Armin took a moment to look up at her and pout. And she smiled wryly back.

"Coast is clear," Mikasa, waiting at the threshold of the lobby, told them. And then she motioned, a bit grandly. "The wide world awaits."

"Thanks," Annie said in reply, and clasped the other girl's hand briefly. "We'll be back in a bit."

"Don't worry about that," Mikasa said, then glanced warmly at Armin. "Just have fun. This is technically your first date, after all."

Annie flushed pink at the phrase, although not nearly as dramatically as Armin's scarlet blush. Then, with one last nod to Mikasa, she took off through the lobby, ignoring the shouted objection from the receptionist and hurrying through the door— as fast as she could without jostling Armin unnecessarily.

The boy in the wheelchair winced at the brightness of the sun, but still turned his face up to meet the slight breeze. Annie noticed, and it made her smile as she slowed to a walk.

"What do you think?" she asked softly, and Armin shook his head.

"It's so... different... I can... _feel_ it...!" 

The simple statement made Annie's heart ache— with something slightly more bitter than happiness. And she trotted a little bit quicker toward their destination, which happened to be a very familiar bus stop.

"Where are we going, Annie?" the boy asked again, once the driver had helped to strap his wheelchair into place.

The girl only smiled knowingly, one hand resting lightly over his. Armin squeaked with naive alarm as the bus went over a bump, and then looked at Annie in astonishment.

"I felt that!"

"Less pleasant than the breeze, yes?"

Armin's eyes still shone, but his voice was serious as he said, "Everything I can feel now is wonderful."

Annie was torn between the urge to laugh and that to cry, so she simply looked away with a soft chuckle. "You're too... innocent. Too full of wonder. You're too wonderful, Armin. You're just too wonderful."

The boy blushed again, and then he too looked away with a flustered mumbling that couldn't quite be made out. And they rode the rest of the way in silence, with Annie smiling softly to herself and Armin gazing out the window. When she reached up to signal for a stop, however, the boy's face lit up.

"Oh!"

He knew the route, of course, and the stop; he had accompanied Annie there many times before. But never before had he been able to smell the rich aroma of coffee spilling out into the street, or feel the hum of quiet conversation as a vibration deep in his bones.

"Oh, Annie...!"

The girl smiled knowingly, wheeling him up to the counter. The barista was duly surprised— he knew Annie, as did most of the staff, and had never before seen her in the company of a flesh-and-blood person. In fact, he didn't manage to untie his tongue before the girl began to order.

"One black coffee, two almond biscotti, a vanilla latte and a slice of strawberry shortcake, please."

"C-Coming right up."

"Great. We'll be at our usual table. If you wouldn't mind bringing it?"

"Sure...! No problem."

With a gracious nod, Annie pushed the Armin over to what was, indeed, _their_ usual table, shoving one of the chairs out of the way and replacing it with the wheelchair. The boy was watching her with glowing sapphire eyes and the beginnings of a smile— which blossomed into a grin as the barista delivered their order, and Annie sat down across from him with a grateful nod to the employee.

"Here's to many more such outings," the girl said, raising her cup slightly. Armin scrambled slightly for a moment, but she waited patiently until he had tapped his against hers.

"Th-thank you, Annie...!" Armin took a tentative sip of his drink, his eyes lighting up. "This is delicious...!"

"I thought you might like it," the girl said, with a slight smile. "I think there's a lot that you'll like"

And they lapsed into what was, for what could only be called a first date, surprisingly comfortable, familiar conversation. It was the kind of scene that promised many years of companionship, and neither of them doubted that they could count on just that.

... ... ...

' _Look at that..._ '

' _Mm... Yes. Things turned out... right._ '

' _We should go say hello, don't you think, Bertl?_ '

But the angel shook his head. ' _N-No... not now. Let's leave them be for now. We should let them have their time in their private little world._ '

' _Just like we have our own little world, right?_ '

' _Th-That's right, Reiner._ '

' _But we'll visit them later?_ '

And Bertholdt had to smile, both with honest affection for his own eternal companion and unbelievable gratitude for how things had turned out.

' _Yes... we'll intrude on them later._ '

**Author's Note:**

> Remember to leave kudos and comments if you enjoyed, and I'll see you in the next chapter~


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